Another Type of Alien, Book Two: Assuming the Mantle
by Rapidfyrez
Summary: One threat has been defeated, but Jack should have known peace wouldn't reign. The cons are still out there, and now, new allies and enemies make themselves know. Some that even the last Son of Krypton can't hope to handle alone...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Returning Home

_Autobot HQ…_

Everyone stood at the entrance of the swirling vortex in anticipation, waiting for their close friend to return. Jack had spent over a two weeks in an alternate dimension waiting for the way back home to be complete. Several bots had gone through to help build the device, namely Wheeljack and Arcee.

Now Wheeljack and June where back, waiting for the last pair to arrive eager to see their friend. Jackson Darby, aka Kal-El or as the military had labeled him, the Superboy. Despite all outward appearances, he was far from your average human teen.

He was actually one of the last surviving members of the now dead Kryptonian race from the planet Krypton. He had been sent from his planet as an infant by his parents Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van to Earth where he was raised to believe he was human by his adopted mother June Darby.

Since then he'd eventually discovered his heritage and revealed it to the bots after General Zod launched an invasion on Earth attempting to terraform the planet into a new Krypton. Jack and the bots had managed to stop the general only for Jack to be sent to an alternate universe. After some misunderstandings, he was assisted by his counterpart in stopping the mad general once and for all.

And now it was time for the Kryptonian teenager to return to his home. Metal footsteps echoed through the portal as three figures became outlined against the bright white of the inter-dimensional portal. Slowly Arcee, Jack, and his sister Kara walked out of the portal, finally back in their home dimension.

The portal slowly flickered and died, closing the only access anyone would have to either universe ever again.

"Jack!" Miko and Raf said in unison running to their friend.

Jack let out a laugh as the two ran up to him "It's good to see you guys again," he said with a smile.

"So what was it like in the alternate dimension, was there another me, another you!?" Miko started listing off a barrage of question.

Jack lifted his hand trying to calm her "To answer your first two questions, yes there were counterparts of everyone there, even me," he said.

"Fantastic," Ratchet groaned "Two Miko's, exactly we what we needed," there were a few chuckles from Ratchets complaints when the others seemed to notice Kara for the first time.

"Ugh we only sent three people through right?" Bulkhead asked.

"Hmm?" Jack asked confused before realization dawned "Oh, I forgot, this is Kara my long lost sister," he explained.

"Your sister!?" everyone assembled minus those who knew and Optimus yelled in unison.

"When did you have a sister?" Miko demanded "And can she do everything you can do?" she asked excitedly.

"It's a long story Miko, but yes I can do everything my brother can," Kara answered.

"The higher ups are gonna have a field day with this," Fowler groaned "One super powered alien teenager was bad enough, but now we have two,"

"Agent Fowler, you don't need to worry about Kara, she'll be staying with Jack and I at home," June explained.

"Yes but there's going to be miles of paper work for this to register her as a citizen not to mention I'll have to convince them that like Jack she's not a threat to national security," he complained.

Jack frowned "How am I a threat to national security?" he demanded.

Fowler sighed "Look son," he started, inciting a glare from Jack "I know you're not a threat, we" he gestured to everyone in the room "know you're not a threat, but let's face it Jack. You are a teenage boy strong enough to leave Optimus Prime in pieces. Ol'Uncle Sam is scared of what would happen if you went off the deep end," Fowler let out a breath as he finished explaining his comment.

Jack's frown lessened "Fine, you have a point," he admitted.

"But my sister is not a threat to anyone," he finished.

There was a sound of loud thunderous footsteps as Optimus walked towards them "No one here doubts you or your sisters dedication or disinterest in personal gain Jack," Optimus said leaning down.

Kara looked at Optimus before whispering to Jack "He's a lot thinner in our universe," she commented.

Jack rolled his eyes "I know Optimus, just well… after everything I went through over the past week or so I thought people would be a little more… grateful I saved the world," he admitted.

"Son, the only people who even know that Kal-El and Jack Darby are the same people is Jasper," Fowler said getting Jacks attention.

Jack raised a brow "What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Dude, you had a super powered brawl in the middle of town, everyone knows who you are," Miko said jumping up and down excitedly.

Jack gulped nervously "Everyone?"

"Well yeah, you're a town hero Jack," Raf said "everyone either loves you or hates you,"

"Hates me?" Jack asked even more confused.

"A lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea of someone like you existing Jack," June explained, and her undertones suggested that there was more to what she was saying.

Jack looked at his mother "Who exactly?" he asked.

June sighed "I didn't want to say anything, but a lot of our neighbors are… angry I lied to them about you, and a lot of people are upset with the damage that you and the others caused in Jasper,"

Jack opened his mouth to defend himself when Optimus interrupted him "Perhaps it would be best if we saved this discussion for later, I imagine that you would want to return home as it is late and you have had a long day,"

Jack rubbed the back of his head "Yeah that sounds good," he said.

Optimus nodded and turned to Ratchet "Open a bridge for them," he ordered. Ratchet turned to the terminal and began inputting coordinates

"Actually Optimus," Arcee said interrupting the medic "I would like to drive Jack home if that's fine," she said her optics flicking over Jack.

Jack could have sworn that he saw Optimus smile before the Prime spoke "I will allow it," he said.

Arcee smiled and transformed to motorcycle mode. Jack climbed on and the pair drove off down the tunnel.

"Jack where's your helmet!?" June called after the duo but they were gone.

"Isn't Jack indestructible?" Miko asked.

"I still worry," June said as she and Kara walked through the ground bridge to her new home…

_On the Road…_

Jack and Arcee raced down the street both glad to finally get a chance to go out for their first real drive together since before Zod had invaded. Jack smiled as the wind blew through his hair as he and his girlfriend zipped towards Jasper.

Optimus wasn't kidding when he said it was late out. The moon was resting high in the air, fully illuminating the area with its bright white glow. Stars dotted the clear sky, and the two were at peace as the purr of Arcee's engine was the only sound to keep them company.

The rest of the desert was clear and undisturbed as her engine echoed off the mesa's and cliff faces. With no one else around Arcee zipped forward going faster and faster. Jack lowered himself as the two raced towards the small cluster of lights that was Jasper Nevada.

Jack felt relief in seeing his home town still standing. After his time in that alternate dimension, a small part of himself was afraid he'd find his town in the same condition. A silly worry he knew, but it still relieved him to know that his fears were unfounded.

Arcee started to slow down as they came into town following the speed limit. She made her way through the maze of streets before the two finally came down Jacks street. They quickly pulled into the garage, closing the door behind them.

The whole garage seemed fresh and new, with actual walls on the inside, not just the inners exposed. Now that Jack thought about it, the garage had been destroyed during the invasion. It must have been rebuilt while he was gone, hence the clean fresh feeling it had.

Two windows occupied the wall directly in front of him and another to his left to let in some more light as well. There was a small metal work table under the window with a bunch of tools laying on it. They all belonged to his adopted father, but neither he nor June wanted to get rid of them. Besides, Jack wasn't a half bad mechanic himself either.

Jack got off of Arcee and stretched as the femme transformed to robot mode "It's good to be home," he said smiling at her.

"It's good to get out," was her response "and to be alone for once," she said a smile gracing her lips.

"That so?" he asked taking a small step to his girlfriend. Since the two had hooked up they had not gotten a single solitary moment together. Now though, they were the only ones in the house and even though Arcee was larger than Jack, that hadn't stopped them before.

Arcee lowered her head as she was already crouching inside the garage. Jacks lips met hers and they moved in unison as the two kissed. At that particular moment it seems thought that even Jacks own universe was convinced that keeping the two from having _any _alone time was in their best interest.

The door connecting the house to the garage opened up and the two broke apart to see Kara and June standing there. June was standing with her hands on her hips and Kara was giggling at the two.

"ugh…" Jack started, but June held up a hand.

"Not a word Jack, just come on in," she interrupted.

Jack blushed and walked to the door, June and Kara heading in as well. He stopped at the door and looked back at Arcee. Checking back inside to see if they were waiting for him, Jack rushed forward and kissed Arcee quickly before heading in.

"See you tomorrow Cee," he said softly as he walked in.

"See you tomorrow Superboy," she called back and sat back resting against the now reinforced walls of the garage, a faint smile gracing her faceplate as she went into recharge.

Jack walked into the house and into the kitchen where Kara and June were waiting for him "So mom got a room for you right?" he asked his sister.

Kara nodded "I gave her the guest room, figured we could decorate it later," June explained.

"Right," Jack said before yawning.

"You should probably get some rest, you have school tomorrow," June said.

Jack froze "Please tell me you're kidding mom?" he begged.

"No I'm not Jack, you need to continue going to school," she said firmly.

"I just got back from an alternate dimension, don't I get one day off?" he asked.

"You've already missed two weeks of school Jack, you're not missing another," June stated firmly.

Kara giggled again at her brothers defeated look on his face "Don't laugh missy, once Fowler has you registered you're going with him," she informed the Kryptonian female.

"What? But I've already been educated!" she protested and shot a glare at Jack who had started laughing at her now.

"Maybe so, but it'll be good for you to get some more human interaction," June countered.

Kara opened her mouth to respond, but one look from June's serious face and the girl shut her mouth. She walked off to her new room grumbling to herself as she did.

June looked to Jack "Now off to bed, you'll need your rest for tomorrow," she ordered.

Jack let out a groan but complied with his mother and sulked into his old room. He opened the door and let out a grateful sigh as he felt the familiarity of his room. He changed into something more comfortable and slipped into bed, quickly falling asleep…

_The Next Day…_

Jacks alarm rang, waking him from his slumber with an annoyed growl. He lightly slammed his fist on the infernal device only for it to shatter from the blow anyway.

"Great," he moaned as he sat up and ran his hands over his face.

"Save the world twice and I still have to go to school," he complained before he got up and went through his standard morning routine of showering getting dressed.

He wore his super suit under his clothes once he finished as he had no idea when he might be called into action. With the bots and the cons being worldwide news now, it might cause them to stop hiding in the shadows. If that was the case he wasn't going to be caught unaware, not this time.

Jack sat in the kitchen eating alone. His mom had left for the hospital and Kara was fast asleep in the guest room. Jack had made sure to check on her and was relieved to see that she wasn't floating in the air when she slept. Would have been another surprise for her if she was.

Jack wolfed down the rest of his breakfast and made his way to the garage and smiled to see Arcee herself was still in recharge resting her large frame against a wall. He smiled all those times he'd come in before she'd been in bike mode for fear of getting spotted. Apparently it also hid the fact that she was asleep too.

Jack walked up to the femme and floated up to next to her "Arcee, wake up," he whispered.

In almost a repeat of the aftermath of the goodbye part the femme moaned and slapped him away with her hand. The difference was Arcee was again twenty feet tall and made of metal, not a 6 foot tall human. So Jack actually went flying into the ground with a thud.

He shook his head as he got back up and flew up to her head again "Arcee," he said poking her helm. Apparently there was enough force behind it that the femme tipped to her side and proceeded to topple over.

Her optics shot open right as she landed on the floor. She let out a yelp of pain before readjusting herself to glare at her boyfriend. Jack just laughed at Arcee's clumsy wakeup call despite her glare.

"Was that necessary?" she demanded.

"Necessary? No," he said before smiling "Hilarious, very," he said laughing again.

Arcee snorted and transformed to vehicle mode "Come on _Superboy _let's get you to school," she said dryly.

Jack grabbed his helmet that was on the table and slipped it on before getting on Arcee. The garage opened and the two drove out towards Jasper high.

As they drove, Jack suddenly felt very nervous about what was going to happen. How where the people at school going to treat him now that they knew he wasn't even human? Would they treat him the same, be grateful to him for saving the town, or would they all fear him?

Jack unintentionally tightened his grip on Arcee's handle bars in worry, inciting a yelp of pain from the femme "Jack, you're crushing my handlebars," she warned.

"Oh, sorry," he said loosening his grip and falling back into his train of thought.

Arcee though noticed her partners trouble and decided to investigate "Something the matter Jack?" she asked.

Jack looked down at her dash "Just… nervous is all," he admitted.

"Nervous?" she asked, "About what?"

"Just… about how everyone's going to act towards me," he said "I was always the odd one the freak at school. People weren't sure what to make of me. How are they going to act now that my secret is out?" he asked.

Arcee directed one of her mirrors at Jack, the closest she could get to looking at him when in her alt "Jack, you saved Jasper, heck you saved the world. Fact is that what a bunch of high schoolers think of you doesn't matter. You have done more in the past few weeks then most of those kids will do in their entire lifetime," she said confidently.

Jack still had an unsure look on his face "Besides," she continued "you have one thing they never will," she said.

"Oh? And what might that be besides the list of powers?" he asked.

"Me," she replied simply.

Jack smiled "Guess you have a point there Arcee," he said.

"Of course I do, oh and look, we're here," she said as they pulled into the school parking lot.

Everyone seemed to have gone into the school already, and only a few cars were parked out front. Even Bulkhead and Bee were gone, the others must already be inside. Jack knew he wasn't late, he didn't have a first period anymore, but it was about time for the break between first and second period. Everyone would be up and about right now.

Arcee stopped in her typical parking spot and Jack got off, taking his helmet off as he did. He placed it in Arcee's subspace and looked at school, sighing as he did.

"Jack," Arcee said casing him to look to his bike slash girlfriend "it'll be fine, I have to go to base to give Optimus a full report but you'll be fine. Worse they can do is look at you funny," she comforted.

Jack smiled faintly "Thanks Cee," he said and walked towards the school entrance.

"Anytime partner," she whispered as she pulled back and drove slowly to base, one of her mirrors watching as he walked in.

Jack slowly eased open the door for the school and walked into the hallway. The hallways as usual were crowded with students who milled about doing whatever it is students do in their free time. Jack slowly walked to where his locker was.

As he did he felt more than saw the looks from his fellow students and he heard the halls slowly grow quiet as he walked through the halls. He made sure to avoid everyone's gaze as he walked, only wanting to survive today.

He made his way to his locker and noticed the entire school had fallen dead silent. So silent was it that one could practically hear a pen drop. He looked back up and turned around to see every student had stopped what they were doing to look at the alien teen.

Jack could almost feel his cheeks flush slightly as he was put at the center of attention. He'd spent his whole life trying to be invisible to the average student, and now he was the center of attention.

He wasn't sure what to say or do, everyone was just staring at him expecting… Something. What he wasn't sure, but they were expecting it. He just stood there silent when an odd sound echoed through the halls.

It repeated itself and Jack turned to it to see something he hadn't expected. Vince, the school bully, the one who'd taken personal pride in bullying Jack and his friends was… Clapping? At least, the best he could given how his hand was in a cast. A bitter reminder of less than pleasant times.

Vince continued to clap and slowly his friends joined him, the lone clap becoming a band of applause, then a group, and then a symphony of applause. Every student in the school seemed to be clapping and cheering!

Jack looked from side to side in wonder at this sudden development "H-how, w-why?" he asked.

Vince approached him "You're a hero Darby, you saved the whole friggin Earth," he pointed out.

"But I'm not even human," he protested.

He shrugged "That just makes you an even bigger human. You stood up for us even when we treated you like garbage when you could have let us die. It takes real courage to do something like that," Vince said.

"I… thanks," was all the stunned teen could get out. Today really would be an interesting day, but not quiet for the reasons he'd expect…

_Later that day…_

Arcee slowly drove back to Jasper high to pick up her boyfriend and bring him back to base. She was eager to see him again and had been unable to stay fully focused all day. Her processor kept drifting back to worry about how Jack would adapt to returning to his relatively dull life.

Still, she'd managed to make her full report to Optimus of the events that had happened. Wheeljack had taken off before Optimus could ask for his report, something about seeing the world. So Arcee had filled in the others on what exactly was different in the other universe and what had happened.

Of course she left a _few _details out, like her being shrunk, and the wildness of the party. No one needed to know that in her opinion. Still after that the day had been a dull drag with no sign of con activity. It had been like that since after Zod invaded, the cons had just disappeared after the Autobots existence was made public.

In fact no reports at all were coming in. After their existence was revealed, a new department had been formed to allow people to call and report sightings of Vehicons or their flying counterparts. A few calls had come in initially, but after that the cons wised up and disappeared.

So far the others had used their new found freedom to transform sparingly. They had little reason to outside of base, though when Raf and Miko introduce their guardians to their parents the results had been… Hilarious wasn't a good enough response to describe it.

Arcee had yet to transform in public as she'd left after only a week after the announcement after all. Maybe now that she and Jack were back she would find a reason to. And if not, she always had that certain item she'd swiped that could make things much easier for the two of them in public.

Arcee shook herself mentally as she pulled into the school parking lot that was once more mostly abandoned. She'd passed Bulk and Bee on her way as apparently Jack had to catch up on some work before he left. Arcee parked herself in her usual spot and waited for her boyfriend to emerge from the school.

She didn't have to wait long, about five minutes later Jack emerged… With Sierra in tow. Jack seemed to either be ignoring her or didn't know that she was following. Arcee had to guess the latter as Sierra appeared to be trying to work up the courage to talk to him.

"Ugh… Jack!" she called and her partner stopped by one of the small pillars at the front of the school.

Jack stopped and turned to her "Sierra? Something I can help you with?" he asked.

Arcee watched as the girl looked at her feet holding her books to her chest. She looked back up at her partner "I was wondering if maybe… you I don't know, wanted to go to the dance?" she asked.

Jack stiffened and Arcee felt her Energon boil in rage. Was this girl asking Jack, _her Jack_, out on a date!? No one noticed but Arcee un parked herself and rolled forward slightly. That girl had some nerve to ask him out! If only she could transform and tell her… wait a minute.

Arcee felt herself grin as Jack tried very awkwardly to get out of this situation "Well you see Sierra… I'm kinda…"

"He's already taken toots," a strong feminine voice said.

_"Scrap" _Jack thought, he knew what was coming. Sierra did not.

"Who said that?" the girl asked bewildered.

"I did," Arcee growled and transformed behind Jack assuming her full twenty foot height. She glared down at Sierra with narrow optics her arms crossed.

Sierra just gawked at the large femme before her "W-who are you?" she asked taking a step back.

Arcee kneeled down next to Jack till her faceplate was eye level with Sierra "Name's Arcee, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask my _boyfriend _out," she growled.

Sierra's eyes bugged out "B-boyfriend!?" she yelled in surprise before looking to Jack "she's your girlfriend!?"

"There a problem with that?" Arcee demanded angrily. Before Sierra could respond Jack put a hand on her arm.

"Arcee I think you've made your point, let's just go to base," he said trying to act as a mediator.

Arcee narrowed her optics at Sierra before nodding and transforming to vehicle mode. Jack put his helmet on and got on driving off and left a very stunned Sierra standing at the edge of the parking lot, her mind racing.

Jack was dating an Autobot? Autobots were in Jasper? No better yet, why was he dating an Autobot? Not like they could provide anything she couldn't. Hell they probably couldn't even do half of what she could, she was at least Jacks size.

Sierra narrowed her eyes as the two drove off. This challenge just got a whole lot more interesting…

_On the road…_

"You think you might have overreacted just a little Arcee?" Jack said as they drove to base.

"Jack, I wasn't going to let her try and steal you away," she replied simply.

Jack puzzled over this for several moments before a large grin dawned on his face "Arcee… were you jealous?" he asked,

Arcee scoffed "Jack, me jealous? Of what?" she demanded.

He shrugged "I don't know, you tell me, I was going to tell Sierra I was already take when you decided to scare her half to death," he answered calmly.

"I'm not jealous," she muttered.

"I think you are," he teased as they made their way onto the stretch to base.

"No, I'm not," she retorted. Jack opened his mouth to respond when both her mirrors flicked towards him "Another word Jackson and I will throw you at a cliff wall," she threatened.

Jack held a hand over his heart "Why Arcee you wound me. Why would you risk harming me by doing such a thing?" he quipped.

"Because I know you can take it Kryptonian," she deadpanned.

"Fine fine, you win you're not jealous," he said raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Thanks you," she said and they descended into a comfortable silence. That is until another thought entered into Arcee's processor.

"Jack, what exactly is the dance?" she asked.

Jack seemed to freeze up at the femmes question "W-what do you mean?" he asked.

"Well I know what dancing is, but what was it that Sierra asked you too?" she asked her curiosity peaked by Jacks sudden awkwardness.

"It's just a little school get together were couples get dressed up and… go dancing," he answered rather nervously "Why?"

"Just asking, wondering if you and I could go to something like that," she said.

Jack blinked in surprise as they grew closer to the mesa "A-Arcee, you're a bit… big for dancing don't you think?" he asked.

"Well not that Jack, I meant more along the lines of a date," she said.

Jack seemed to settle down slightly at this "Okay, that makes sense, where to exactly? Our options are kinda limited," he pointed out.

"Isn't there a drive in theater we could go to?" she asked not willing to unveil her secret quiet yet.

"Ugh yeah there is," he said "when would we go, I still have to catch up on school work," he admitted.

"Hmm," Arcee hummed thinking to herself as they approached the cliff wall. For her this would be a big deal, she wanted to spend more time with Jack that didn't involve almost dying or fighting. It would technically be their first date together so they needed a good time together.

"Don't humans normally go out on Friday's?" she asked as they drove into the tunnel.

"Yeah I shouldn't be busy then, it's in two days and I don't really have any work since the K.O burger is kinda…"

"Destroyed," Arcee finished.

"Yeah that," he said as they drove into the main lobby. Jack got off Arcee removing his helmet as the femme transformed.

"So I guess it's a date then," she said with a wink.

Jack nodded "I guess it is," he replied with a smile.

"Oh isn't that sweet, the couple's going on their first date!" Miko teased from the upper platform.

"So where you going, the car dealership, the car wash, NASCAR race?" she asked while teasing them at the same time.

Arcee rolled her optics while Jack flew up to the platform. He saw that Miko and Raf where there as well as his sister. Currently it seemed like Miko and Raf were engaged in a video game match while Kara watched.

Jack landed next to his sister and leaned against the railing, arms crossed "So how long have you been at base?" he asked.

"Flew over about two or three hours ago, asked Ratchet if he could teach me anything about Cybertronian tech," she answered.

"She is a surprisingly patient student and a quiet one to boot," Ratchet said while glaring at Miko.

Jack laughed a little at that "So any problems with your powers at all?" he asked in a more serious tone.

"None that I could tell, my senses and everything are under control, as well as my other abilities," she said proudly.

Jack smiled before an idea occurred to him "Ratchet, we still have that training room right?" he asked.

The medic nodded "I haven't finished it yet but for basic sparring purposes it should work," he said.

A questioning look appeared on his face "Why do you ask?"

"I want to spar with Kara, help her hone her abilities so I don't have to worry about her getting her aft kicked too much," he explained.

"Hey!" she shouted indignantly.

Jack smiled at her innocently "Well you wanted to help didn't you?" he asked.

Kara glared at him "Good point, but you're going down," she threatened.

Jack smiled again "We'll see little sister," he said and flew off the platform.

"I'm technically older than you," she called flying after him.

"You _were _older than me," he countered "but you spent a good sixteen years waiting for me to catch up," he pointed out flying to the training room, several of the bots and humans following behind them.

They quickly found the room and found Ratchet was right. Several terminals were missing there screens and had wires hanging out of them. Besides that though it was a large open room carved into the rock face, large enough to comfortably hold an entire platoon of Vehicons with room for a group of seekers floating over head.

The two landed while the bots, namely Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee came in to watch them. The two mech's held their charges in their servos and watched as Kara and Jack landed a good distance apart from each other.

"Rules?" Kara asked.

"No heat vision, no flying, and no freeze breath," he answered "Besides that, don't hold back, I can handle anything you dish out," he stated.

Kara smiled as she struck a fighting position "We'll see brother," she said cryptically. The two circled each other, waiting for the other to expose themselves.

Kara struck first speeding towards her brother and jumping up to deliver a round house. Jack ducked underneath her and grabbed her by the leg, twisting and fling her away. She twisted in midair and managed to land on her feet, skidding back as she did.

She looked up at her brother and charged again. She feigned a punch to the left only to deliver a right hook instead knocking Jack to the side. He skipped across the ground before getting his feet under him and looking up at Kara with a smile. This was going to be an interesting fight…

**A/N: And so it begins, the next part in my Superman TFP crossover. What did you guys think of this chapter? I want to know and I want to know what you guys want to see. Since I no longer have the Man of Steel plot to follow anymore I'll be following the TFP plot to an extent with some... Changes... So suggestions are welcomed. Otherwise, review with critique and PM me for questions or ideas. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Suiting Up

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack shot forward and re engaged Kara in their hand to hand practice. They'd dropped their little evaluation of each other and were going to go at it full power. Jack delivered a flurry of jabs that Kara dodged and weaved around before she grabbed his arm.

She twisted it around pulled his arm behind his back, placing a foot against his back pulling back against his arm. Jack smirked and with a quick flick of his wrist, flipped his sister forward towards the wall.

He shot towards her, his feet kicking up dust and launched up behind her, delivering a punch knocking her to the ground. He was careful to use only what was needed. They were sparring not trying to kill each other.

Jack landed back on the ground as Kara got up and the two continued to trade blows. Kara wasn't as experienced with her enhanced speed and strength and it showed. Her blows were slower and had less force behind them.

Jack on the other hand had grown up with his powers and was slowly pushing her back. Still, it was a fairly even fight between the two. That is until Jack placed his foot behind her and tripped her. She fell back only for Jack to grab her by her foot.

Twisting suddenly, Jack began to spin the Kryptonian girl by her foot spinning faster and faster. He released her suddenly and watched as she flew back across the other side of the room. She managed to right herself midair and landed on the ground lightly.

The two once again reengaged each other this time focusing less on speed and more on strength. Kara punched Jack square in the face with a loud boom. He skid back, his feet digging into the floor as he did, before coming to a stop.

His head hung from the blow as he stood silent for several seconds. The audience of bots watched captivated as Jack slowly raised his head back up, his face unharmed.

He smiled and resumed his fighting position, arm outstretched "That the best you got sister?" he taunted.

Kara scowled at her brother and shot towards him. She leapt into the air and rocketed towards her opponent, fists reared back. Jack smiled and reared his own fist back as she shot towards him.

Their fists collided in a massive shockwave knocking bits of debris towards the audience and shaking the base to its core. The two stayed still, Kara floating in the air and Jack standing in a small crater in the floor, their fists connected.

Jack smirked "So much for the no flying rule," he muttered and shot forward towards his sister. He kneed her in the stomach and slammed his fists down on her before she could recover. Kara fell to the ground only barely stopping herself before she hit.

She looked up to see Jack flying towards her and she shot to the side, avoiding his attack. Jack slammed into the ground with a loud boom, leaving another crater in the ground. He stood up and smiled at her which she returned.

"You're getting good at this," he said as he floated off the ground.

"I'm a faster learner," she responded.

Jack smirked "We'll see," he said and shot towards her once more. This time their fist fight launched the two in the air, both delivering punches and kicks to each other. Their fists and legs moved so fast that no bot or human could watch them in full.

Kara suddenly grabbed Jack by the wrist and spun repeating his own move from earlier, but this time slamming him into the ground. He hit the ground with an earth shattering crash as the floor exploded from the impact.

Kara slammed onto his chest, her foot planted on his chest with a triumphant smile "I win," she said.

Jack smiled innocently as she got off him and offered her hand. He took it gently before he moved fast and flipped her over his shoulder with a thud. He planted his knee on her chest with a smile of his own.

"You only win when I say you win sister," he explained.

"Got it," she squeaked and Jack smiled. This was practically a repeat of the end result from his sparring practice with his counterparts sister Dusk. Jack had technically won the fight, but since Dusk never yielded, she flipped him over her shoulder and had planted her knee on his neck.

Now he was using the same trick on Kara, though he'd never admit it to his sister. She'd probably never forgive her friend for teaching him such a trick.

Jack got off his sister and helped her up "I think that's enough practice for today, don't you think?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's enough for now," she agreed. The two walked out of the crater that was nearly as deep as Arcee to see a stunned crowd.

Bulkhead and Bee had never actually seen Jack fight before, and the wreckers jaw was hanging loosely from the rest of his body. Bee's optics were wide in shock and if one could see his mouth Jack would have to guess that it too, was hanging open.

Miko though… was Miko "Oh…My…God…" she said quietly. Jack knew what was coming next and braced himself.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" she screamed jumping in the air with glee. Kara visibly flinched from the girls sudden excitement and Jack had to suppress a laugh.

Miko immediately began listing off a thousand questions and comments a second using her hands to imitate the fight she'd just witnessed. Jack rolled his eyes and ignored her keeping his attention on the others.

"That was an impressive fight Jack, you sure you didn't hurt each other?" Raf asked. Jack smiled at his little friends worry.

"We were holding back our strength most of the fight Raf, besides I'm a little more durable than the typical person," he reminded the small boy.

He nodded understanding what Jack meant and Jack looked up at Arcee "Didn't scare you at all did I?" he asked.

"After seeing what you could do Jack, I'm pretty convinced that as long as no one brings a hunk of Kryptonite along I don't need to worry about you," she said and saw Jack smile.

"Too much anyway," she amended.

Jack rolled his eyes "Cute," he said. He looked back to Kara and noticed that she seemed a little… Light headed was the best word to describe it.

She was rocking back and forth slightly, and her pale skin had grown paler, greatly contrasting her blue eyes. But except for some tears on her clothing she seemed fine uninjured.

"Kara, are you feeling okay?" he asked worry evident in his voice.

Kara placed a hand against her forehead "I'm fine Jack, just… just a little tired," she admitted.

Jack raised a brow trying to figure out how his sister could be so tired after their skirmish. It wasn't a light battle for sure, but it definitely wasn't the longest or most intense battle he'd had.

Maybe she just wasn't used to expending her powers like he was, after all she didn't… Jack face-palmed as he realized why Kara was so tired and he wasn't.

"I think I know why you're tired," he announced.

Everyone looked at him with curious looks on their faces "You don't have a suit like I do," he stated rolling his sleeve up and exposing the blue of his suit.

"So, I don't think Kara missing out on the latest Kryptonian fashions will affect how she feels Jack," Miko said with a roll of her eyes.

"Miko, the suit is designed with an enhanced fabric that captures and stores the various waves of the sun so that the wearer does not need constant contact to ensure their powers aren't drained as quickly," Kara explained and Jack blinked in shock.

"How did you…" he started.

"I helped father design the fabric," she explained "I won't bore you with the details," she said dismissively.

"Great," Miko muttered "One more list of brainiac's to add to the group,"

"Right," Jack said ignoring her comment "Point is that without a suit like this your powers will drain fast if you're not careful," he said.

"Well it's not like you can just go to the nearest store and buy a pair of Kryptonian suits," Miko said "So where would you get another one?"

"There's only one place," Jack said and gestured for Kara to follow him. The others followed as well.

They quickly made their way into the main hall of the base were Ratchet was working at a terminal. He looked up as the rather large group of humans, bots, and Kryptonians made their way into the room.

"Is there something I can help you all with?" Ratchet asked.

"Can you open a bridge to the ship Ratchet?" Jack asked.

The medic looked at the boy suspiciously "Why would that be?"

He gestured to Kara "We need to get her a suit similar to mine, that's where I got my suit," he explained.

Ratchet looked at Jack for several seconds before sighing "Certainly Jack, I will bridge you and your sister to the ship. I still have the coordinates saved after all," he said and began to enter said coordinates.

The bridge swirled open and Jack looked to Kara "Ready to go?" he asked his sister.

She nodded and Jack looked back at the others, more specifically Arcee "I'll be back soon, don't wait up," he said and the two flew through the portal.

They flew through the blazing green and white of the swirling vortex and into a world of white and black. When Jack had discovered the Kryptonian ship, he'd had it moved to a location that was rarely if ever surveyed and high into the mountains as well.

That is too say it was hidden in the upper regions of Greenland. The ship itself looked undisturbed from last time he'd visited, its thrusters still maintaining its position a foot off the ground.

It was made of Kryptonian steel, a metal that was a mixture of bronze and steel in color and was remarkably durable. It had managed to survive over 20,000 years frozen in ice and still functioned like new. It was shaped like a large oval, though it was larger at the stern were several larger engines could be seen.

It was also very smooth and organic looking, the metal plating melding together and holding tight. There was a single visible door that was sealed shut against the elements, just as Jack had left it.

"I take it you knew about this ship?" Jack asked his sister as the two walked to the door.

"Yes, but I certainly had not expected it to be in such good condition," she said staring at the ship.

"I wonder why Zod never tried to take control of it during the invasion?" she asked absent mindedly while the doors opened.

"Probably wanted to wait for the world to be his before he tried cracking it open. I would have," Jack said as they both walked past the various empty dead control pods.

Kara froze as she saw one who's occupant had never left staring at the now mummified body. Jack turned around and saw her standing there. He quickly approached her to make sure she was okay.

"Kara, Kara, it's okay," he said trying to shake her of her trance.

She mumbled something quietly and Jack frowned "What?" he asked carefully.

"T-that c-c-could have been me," she said softly "it almost was me," she said looking at her hands.

Jack was silent as Kara looked at herself and back to the pod "Why was I so lucky, and they weren't?" she asked looking to Jack.

"Kal, what did they do to deserve this? Why did they have to die like this and I didn't? They never failed their mission never made a big mistake. Why did they have to die?" she asked over and over tears starting to fall as she began crying.

Jack placed a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her, and gasped when she fully embraced him, sobbing once more. He got over his shock and carefully rubbed her back in a comforting way.

"Kara it's alright, you never did anything wrong," he said trying to comfort her. He was now regretting taking her here, he should have known she'd she this and react badly to it.

"Yes I did!" she sobbed "I was supposed to protect you take care of you, and I failed! I failed and yet I get away with no punishment and yet these people, our people, died in cryo pods!" she let out another sob.

Jacks face hardened at her words "Kara, you never failed at your mission," he said "You may not have been there for me when I was younger, but you're here now,"

Kara sniffed quietly and let out a small laugh "You know… Dusk said something similar when I first woke up. I guess I just needed to hear it from you to believe it," she said with a half smile.

Jack smiled back, and silently thanked the Halfling for her words of wisdom to his sister, "Come on, let's keep moving," he said and gently pulled out of her embrace.

She nodded and motioned for him to lead on, wiping a few tears out of her eyes while she did. Jack quickly lead her into the same room he'd found the pedestal his first time he'd come to the ship. He removed the key from his belt and placed it into the slot, feeling the ship hum to life.

He turned around and looked to see the form of his father slowly materialize in front of the siblings. Slowly but surely, Jor-El, former head scientist of Krypton stood before both his children.

Kara let out a small gasp and placed her hands over her mouth in shock "F-f-father?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Jor-El looked to his daughter and smiled sadly "What is left of him," he answered.

Jack took a step back not saying a word as Kara stepped forward, tears starting to stream from her eyes. She began speaking to their father in Kryptonian, and Jack listened to the language for the first true time. He'd heard Kara mutter it on a few occasions, but this was different, this was full sentences.

He couldn't quite understand what the two were saying to each other, but each word held great weight behind it. The sentences flowed and intertwined like two opposing rivers as the two spoke. Each word they said portrayed the emotions that the other felt.

Kara's sounded both sad and happy. Sad at seeing what was left of her father no doubt, but happy that she _could_ see her father. Jor-El's words were deep and booming, portraying his own sadness that he could not truly be there to see his daughter. He also caught hints of regret, likely that he could never find her after her disappearance.

Finally the two finished their conversation and Jack noticed his sister was standing noticeably taller and prouder now that they were done. Though this did make him wonder, exactly what had the two said to each other? He shook his head, it wasn't his place to know, if Kara wanted him to know she would tell him.

"I do have designs for a suit as well Kara," Jor-El said, speaking English once more. He motioned for her to follow him.

"I shall take it to you and when you have changed you and your brother may leave," he said and lead Kara away, likely to the same room he'd lead him to when his suit had been gifted to him.

An idea struck Jacks head and he changed out of his civilian clothes, donning his super suit instead. He slipped the clothes into his belt and watched the suit reassemble itself over his skin. The red and silver gauntlets, the red cape, and the red boots all melded over or lengthened. He stretched as it finished and rested against the door way, waiting for Kara.

He didn't have to wait long, for no more than five minutes later Kara reappeared dressed in her new outfit. Jack would have to admit it was quiet fitting and bore some resemblance to his own.

Like his own suit, it bore their family crest on her chest against a full blue body suit. A red cape with a golden outline and the crest emblazoned on it drooped to slightly above her calves. She wore a pair of deep red boots that came up to her thighs and appeared both tough and flexible, with a single strand of gold running through the middle.

She wore a yellow belt around her mid section unlike Jacks own red belt. Like his suit though, she had red shoulder pads as well, though they were thinner and did not stick out as much. On her hands she too wore red gloves, though instead of silver they were outlined with gold along the cuffs.

All in all Kara's suit, like Jacks, had an air of dignity and respectability to it. Though on her in Jacks opinion it looked a little better, but that could be for any number of reasons. The most obvious being that she had grown up in Kryptonian clothing, not human clothing but still.

Kara looked at Jack confused given how he was in his own suit as well "Why did you change? I thought you preferred not to wear your suit?" she asked.

He shrugged "Figured that you and I could go for a race back to base, see who can fly there first," he said with a smile.

Kara returned it," Of course I'd be willing to beat you in a race brother, so nice of you to ask,"

"Funny," he replied and the two made their way outside, Jack grabbing the key as he did. The door sealed shut behind them as they made their way outside, both of their capes blowing in the breeze.

Jack looked to his sister "You ready for this?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied.

There was a low rumbling sound as both Kryptonians prepared themselves for flight, the Earth itself sounding as if alive. There was a sudden loud boom as both teens took off at the same time and shot into the air flying higher and higher as they did.

In seconds they shattered the sound barrier and began curving south west, towards Jasper Nevada. The two shot through the air weaving and flying together as they quickly began to pass over the land of Greenland. Snow and dirt were kicked up into the air as both Jack and Kara flew mere feet off the ground, their speed creating a back draft of massive proportions.

Jack looked back at his sister and smiled as she tried to keep up. With a small boost of energy, he shot upwards and forwards, spiraling as he did over an incoming mountain range. He reached the peak and stopped putting energy into his flight, letting moment carry him.

There was a loud boom as Kara shot by him and Jack smiled "You wish Kara," he said to himself before taking off after her. Jack quickly caught up with her sister, the two flying side by side as the landscape changed from the icy land of Greenland; to the icy sea of the Atlantic Ocean.

Water shot into the air as the two teens shattered air records and breached Mach 5 moving faster than any air breathing aircraft designed by human hands. A loud boom sounded each time they approached that speed and the two lifted high into the air as the coast of New York came into view.

The two flew over 45,000 feet into the air, higher than any commercial aircraft and shot towards Jasper, the ground itself flying by too fast for even their eyes to track. Jack and Kara both laughed as the two began weaving through the sky, each one pulling slightly ahead of each other while the two weaved a double helix in the sky.

Jack knew they were approaching Jasper and flew closer to Kara who looked for them. He motioned for her to slow down and she nodded. Slowly the two slowed to subsonic speeds, still blazing fast by aircraft speeds.

Jack continued to fly forward and dropped out of the sky, Kara imitating them. They plummeted to the ground, their capes whipping back and forth as they did watching the ground rapidly approach them. Once they were a good thousand or so feet from the ground, the duo took off again, flying towards the mesa at over 300 hundred miles an hour.

Slow compared to their normal speed but more than fast enough to reach base. Sure enough, Jack saw the familiar mesa ahead. In sync, the two dropped forward hundreds of feet, skimming across the ground.

The mesa slowly grew closer and closer to the two and it seemed as if they might crash through the mesa. At the last second, they both arched up and shot into the air flying hundreds of feet above the mesa.

Jack saw the bots and humans were assembled at the base and laughed to himself. He let his flight kick off and he plummeted to the Earth feeling the wind buffet him as both he and Kara fell to the mesa.

There was a loud boom as they both landed knees crouched, on the edge of the mesa. Dirt was kicked up in loud clouds as they landed and the area slowly grew quiet as the two finally stood back up brushing dust off their suits.

Once the smoke cleared Jack saw that not only were the bots and his friends there… But so was his mother.

"Ugh… Hi mom," he said waving at June. June had her arms crossed and did not look pleased.

"Jackson Darby," she started and Jack winced while he heard chuckles from everyone minus his sister.

"You were supposed to call Ratchet for a bridge back young man. Do you have any idea how worried I was!?" she demanded.

"I…but,' he protested.

"And then you decide to _fly _all the way from Greenland!? What if something happened to you? What if your powers stopped working or what if you ran into the Decepticon ship?" she asked her tone becoming more worried.

"I…" Jack started and stopped just hanging his head.

"Don't blame my brother June," Kara said "It was my idea to fly back, I should have considered how worried you'd be," she said.

Jack looked up at his sister in shock, but she simply winked at him. He quickly caught on and looked back to June, who had her serious face on.

"Is this true Jack?" she asked.

"O-of course!" he exclaimed.

Junes gaze softened "Fine, Kara I'll let you off with a warning this time, let us know before you do something like that," she stated.

"I'll remember next time June," she said nodding. With that finished June and the others headed back in.

Jack followed and silently mouthed his thanks to Kara "You owe me," she whispered and Jack nodded.

The group made their way back into base, the whole time Miko was going on about how awesome it was to see the pair fly to the mesa and how their entrance was even more awesome. Jack was pretty sure that if the girl didn't calm down she'd probably explode from how excited she was.

"Actually though, how did you guys know we were coming?" Jack asked once everyone was settled in base.

"I detected two signatures moving faster than any recorded human or Vehicon speeds heading towards Jasper," Ratchet explained.

"You could actually detect us?" he asked amazed. He figured the two of them were too small for the doc to detect them.

"Barely, but two objects over six feet in length hitting Mach five is going to show up on sensors that are sensitive enough Jack," Ratchet stated.

Jack and Kara rubbed the backs of their heads "Oops," they both said in embarrassment.

"But luckily it seems as if you did not attract any unwanted attention," Ratchet said easing their concerns.

The duo smiled and after changing into their respective clothes, earning more questions from June over why Kara's clothes were torn. Once they explained why the two had resumed watching Miko lose to Raf again… and again…and again.

"Argh, why am I even still playing, I should be getting ready for the slash monkey concert!" she exclaimed.

"Bulgarian shriek metal, great," Jack joked.

The girl glared at him when Bulkhead interrupted her "Hey Miko, me and Arcee are going to scout out an Energon signature, want to tag along?" he asked.

The girl immediately perked up "Heck yeah I want to go!" she exclaimed leaping from the couch towards her partner.

"Hope you don't mind if I tag along," Jack said walking to the rail.

Arcee smiled at him "Not at all," she said and Jack leapt from the top of the stairs to the ground below.

Kara moved to follow her brother, when she felt an iron grip on her shoulder. She turned around to see June standing there "You aren't going anywhere missy, after that stunt you pulled your staying in base," she ordered.

Kara gave her brother a pleading look but Jack just shrugged "Sorry Kara, but once mom makes up her mind there is _no _changing it," he said smiling.

Kara glared at her brother who quickly turned away as the portal opened up. He and the others quickly walked through the ground bridge not quite sure what they would find…

_Energon signature…_

"We're supposed to be at a rock concert!" Miko whined. Jack yawned, so much for peace and quiet. Miko had been whining and complaining ever since they came through. Ironic since she'd _chosen_ to tag along.

"But all I see is rock!" she continued.

"Relax, Miko," Jack said, waving a hand, "The show doesn't start for two hours."

The Asian girl's features darkened as she turned to the sorcerer.

"Do you know how _long_ I've waited to see Slash Monkey?" Miko ground out.

"Uh…?" Jack started.

"FOREVER!" Miko shrieked, cutting him off, "And it's their only US date!"

"There's a shock," Jack muttered as Miko turned around, "I mean who _doesn't_ love obscure Bulgarian shriek metal?"

She was about to throw him a smart-aleck reply when Arcee and Bulkhead came out of the mine.

"By all appearances the mine's been stripped," Arcee said with a tone of disappointment. Jack understood his girlfriends disappointment, Energon was hard to come by, and the base was in sore need of it.

"But I'm getting a signal!" Bulkhead protested, "It's faint…but it's _definitely_ Energon."

"Whoa!" Miko breathed, looking back at Jack in excitement.

"Doesn't make sense," Arcee muttered, "This operation's been abandoned four maybe five years? And Decepticons _never_ leave Energon behind."

Miko jumped off the rock and ran into the cave.

"Uh, guys?" Jack asked.

The two Autobots looked down at the young Kryptonian. Jack pointed to the cave. There was no trying to stop Miko. He'd just gotten used to it, the girl found a way to avoid him regardless of his powers.

"COOL!" Miko yelled, running farther into the cave.

"She went in," Arcee sighed, "Unbelievable."

Jack hopped up from his rock, brushed the dirt off his pants, and came closer to his girlfriend.

"Really?" he sighed, "Have you _met_ her? She's almost as stubborn as you,"

Arcee raised an optic ridge "That supposed to mean something?"

Before the two could continue bantering, Bulkheads deep voice interrupted him, "Miko, get back here!" Bulkhead groaned, chasing after his charge.

"It…would be kind of interesting to see…" Jack hinted, looking innocently up at Arcee, "You know if it were…"

"Safe?" Arcee supplied, "A stripped mine is structurally unstable, Jack,"

"I promise to step lightly," the boy promised, floating in midair as he did.

"Just…don't tell your mom," she finally said.

Jack smiled and pumped his fist as he followed Arcee in. He went back to walking behind his girlfriend and admired the cave. While not the most spectacular cave he'd been in, it was one of larger ones for sure. The walls towered above them and Jack could tell that it would fit Optimus easily.

"This place is awesome," Jack breathed as he looked up at the glittering pillars of stone.

Arcee froze, holding a servo up to her comm. "Bulkhead?...Scrap," she shook her helm, "The mineral composition is causing too much interference."

The two walked down the tunnel, and that's when Jack heard the voices.

"Hey," Jack said, "I hear voices…maybe it's Bulkhead and Miko."

"You have ceased to be of use to me, Starscream," a gravelly voice growled, "So you shall simply cease to be!"

Jack froze as he came to an entrance. The young Kryptonian looked inside and saw Megatron pointing his blaster at Starscream's helm. From the looks of things, the warlord was about to kill the SIC.

Arcee came up behind Jack, freezing as she saw the 'Cons. Megatron looked up at the two, a moment of silence passed…then Megatron began shooting at the Autobot and her partner.

Arcee dove forwards, knocking Jack out of the way.

"Stay down!" she yelled.

Megatron shot at the pillar the two were hiding behind mercilessly.

"When will he knock it off?" Jack muttered to himself, "Wait a minute…" he said mentally slapping himself. Why was he hiding?

Jack walked out from behind the wall lifting off the ground but to his surprise… The shots ceased for a moment.

"STARSCREAM!" Megatron roared, "You _dare_ abandon me?"a blast shook the cavern.

Arcee shot at the warlord, Megatron turned around, trying to shoot at the duo. Jack shot forward, aiming to rip his cannon from his arm when a stray shot slammed into his chest, knocking him back into the wall.

"Jack!" Arcee yelled and leaned out of cover firing at the warlord who would dare hurt him. Several shots collided with Megatrons arm, pushing it upward until he fired several shots into the ceiling. Suddenly, the cavern began to rumble, shaking violently.

Arcee stumbled, looking back at Jack, who was just starting to get off the ground. His chest hurt from the blast, and not the usual light sting he got from a blaster shot. Like _seriously _hurt, as if he'd been burned. But that didn't make sense, he knew he could take a blaster shot, what would make this any different?

Jack had no time to figure out this development as the cavern began to shake even more violently. One of the spires cracked off from the ceiling, burying Megatron beneath it, cracks began to form in the ground, and they snaked towards Arcee. The earthquake was destroying the cavern!

"Scrap!" Arcee hissed as she backed up. Right as the ground gave in where she was standing.

"Arcee!" he called out… Right as the crack came for him.

He didn't even have time to scream as the Earth swallowed him, unable to get into the sky as he was buried under tons of rubble...

**A/N: Trololololol CLIFFHANGER! Oh man only two chapters in and I already have a cliffhanger. Granted most of you already have probably figured out which episode it is that this takes place in but still. You guys let me know what you think of Kara's costume and her sparring match with her brother, as I'm not sure entirely what to do with her yet… Okay that's a lie I do know, but I want to hear your opinions! Anyway, don't forget to review with critique or to PM me with plot based questions or ideas! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Rock Bottom

_Energon Mine…_

Jack groaned as he slowly awoke from unconsciousness, blinking the dust from his eyes. Once he cleared them he noticed the great weight on his chest and realized he was trapped under a large pile of rubble. He tried using his X-ray vision to see exactly where he was, but all he saw was darkness and caves.

He sighed and heaved moving enough rubble out of the way to turn around and readjust himself. With a slight push, he managed fling the rubble away from him. The rocks and dust crashed into the cave with a loud crash kicking up dirt and debris everywhere as Jack climbed out of the hole.

He stood up fully and rubbed his chest to clear the last of the pain. It had healed quickly apparently and all he had left was a small stinging sensation that was starting to irritate him. But the real question was, why had Megatron's cannon hurt him in the first place?

Jack had taken his share of blaster shots before, especially in New York where he'd taken a barrage of them. The impacts were enough to stun him, but they didn't really hurt. When Megatron had shot him… He'd felt real pain. Maybe the warlord's cannon was more powerful than people gave it credit for.

It was a good thing then that Megatron was a lousy shot with the thing. He never hit his target with that thing. It was almost as if he didn't aim, he just pointed it in a random direction and fired, hoping to hit something.

Jack shook his head, now wasn't the time to think about Megatron's horrific aim. He was trapped in a mine deep underground with no access to sunlight. Long story short, he had to find the others and get out, even with his suit he wouldn't last forever if he wasn't careful.

He looked around the cave he was in and saw no sign of the others. His X-ray vision would be fairly useless in here so he'd have to start guessing where they were. The best way of course was the most obvious.

"Arcee!" he called, his voice echoing off the caves. He stood silent for several seconds waiting for a response… Nothing.

"Bulkhead, Miko!" he called his voice echoing once again. He stood silent waiting and again… Nothing.

Jack sighed and looked around again. He couldn't see that far with his X-ray vision, but he could tell if a wall lead to an empty room or to nothing. He looked at one such wall and flew up to it. He used his heat vision to melt through the rock, fearing what would happen if he pounded his way through.

Slowly the rock started to glow an angry red, then a bright orange, and finally a hot white before it lost its solid form and melted away. When he was finished there was a hole slightly taller than he was and about twice as wide. He flew through to see a sight he was _not_ expecting to see.

A large Decepticon drill was parked in the cave covered in dirt, but beside that completely unharmed. Jack floated over to it and landed on the command console. Now he technically could simply melt his way through various wall rather easily. But he didn't know exactly how long he'd been out or how long his powers would last in this cave.

So it was best if he used this drill to conserve his powers the best he could. He looked at the console and tapped a button, praying the drill would start up. There was a low rumble as the drill started up and began spinning.

"Well Jack, let's see how well you can drive a con drill," he muttered to himself. He pulled on a lever felt the drill jerk forward towards one of the walls.

A sudden thought occurred to Jack and he smiled "Rollout," he said grinning.

The drill moved towards a large wall of rock as it slowly began to drill its way through. Jack would have to move as fast as was safe, there was no telling what condition the others were in…

_Elsewhere in the mine…_

Arcee blinked her optics open as she struggled to push the rubble encasing her chassis off. There was a clatter of rocks as the femme slowly stood out of the rubble, stretching out her limbs as she did. Once fully stretched, she looked around her area for any sign of the others or the cons.

She saw neither but saw that she'd lucked out, she'd landed in a long stretch of tunnel that must have been a part of the mine. She smiled and made her way forward looking for any sign of the others. It could be quite a while before she found the others though.

All Arcee could do was search and hope that the others found each other before the cons broke free as well…

_Outside the Mine…_

There was a sound of shifting rubble as the now collapsed entrance to the mine began to shift and move. Suddenly, several rocks shot forward as a clawed hand burst through the rubble, reaching for the sky. Slowly but surely, the Decepticon SIC Starscream clawed his way out of the mine, hacking and coughing as he did.

His frame was covered in scratches and dust as the SIC slowly stood to his full height still hacking away. Once he finished clearing his vents he turned to the rubble that filled the mines entrance.

He looked at it for several seconds before letting out a hearty evil laugh echoing through the forest "Predictable, master?" he taunted placing a servo on his long chin "Is that what you called me?"

He looked at the cave entrance and grinned "Well now who has hit rock bottom!" he mocked.

He placed a clawed servo to his audio receptor "What's that?" he asked the rubble "I'm sorry, I can't hear you beneath all that rubble!" he exclaimed laughing hard while he did.

"Farewell, Lord Megatron!" he said with glee stepping back "May you rust in peace!"

He turned around and began to walk away from the cave entrance. He went no more than five steps before the seed of doubt sprouted in his processor.

"But you have survived far worse," he said with worry," If you managed to free yourself, you would blame _me _for your set back,"

He grasped his chin in worry at the thought of his masters anger "And there is no where I could run to escape from you wrath!" he muttered.

Another thought occurred to him "Or worse yet, one of your mindless followers will come looking for you!" he yelled to himself.

He clenched his claws "And take credit for your rescue, credit that could be rightfully mine!"

"GRAGH! MEGAATROON!"

_Back in the mines…_

Miko coughed and hacked clearing the dust away from her face as small bits of rock and debris fell from the ceiling. She and Bulkhead had been going through the caves, the mech trying to bring her back out, when the cave had just suddenly started to collapse around them.

Miko stood up and walked forward looking at the large pile of rubble that had blocked their exit "Did I do that?" Bulkhead asked.

"Don't think so," she answered.

"You okay?" the wrecker asked, concerned for his charges safety.

"Of course, what about you?" she asked and turned to her partner. She looked back in shock to see that Bulkhead was supporting the entire roof of their cave, rocks and dust falling from the roof. His headlights on his chest were on, illuminating the area around them.

"Peachy," he deadpanned.

"Whoa!" Miko said in shock and worry.

"Don't worry Miko, I got it under control," he comforted.

Miko nodded "What do you think caused the cave in?" she asked.

Bulkhead sighed "Who knows, I just hope Jack and Arcee are okay cause we could definitely use an assist," he said.

"Just keep raising that roof Bulk," Miko ordered "I'll get us out of here," she declared pointing to herself.

Miko turned back and made her way to the massive wall of rubble. She bent down and lifted a large rock about as long as her leg and moved it out of the way. She repeated this process moving the small rocks out of the way barely denting the wall.

"What I wouldn't give for Jack to be here," she mumbled…

_Elsewhere in the mines…_

Rock and debris were shredded as the large drill slowly broke through the wall of stone. He felt it break through and smiled to himself, pulling the drill back. He turned it and pulled up alongside the hole, expecting to see Bulkhead or Arcee, maybe Miko…

A large grey head slowly turned in the rock, its blood red optics casting an eerie glow across the rock wall…

It was Megatron he'd stumbled upon, not his friends.

So...you survived..." the Warlord growled. "I don't know how you kept yourself hidden these past two weeks, and in truth, I don't really care...and it would seem that helping those less fortunate would be...out of the question."

Jack just glared at him. He wanted so badly to rip the 'Con's face off, but he held his ground. He remembered what he'd almost done to Starscream's counterpart, and he still didn't like the fact he'd gone that far. True, Starscream deserved to die for his crimes, all the 'Cons did, but not like that. Megatron easily guessed what the Kryptonian teen was thinking when he saw the dark look on the boy's face.

"I can see it in your eyes, I know what you are thinking Kal-El, or do you prefer...Jackson Darby? You'd better finish me now while you have the chance, for I guarantee that you will NEVER get better opportunity to end the war, than Right. Now."

Jack hesitated.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Think of the glory! Seize the day! Optimus would...Zod would." the Mech grinned at him evilly, knowing just what to add to try and goad the teen.

Jack still glared at him, a tiny hint of red flashed in his eyes.

"No, Optimus wouldn't. Not like this. And I'm nothing like Zod."

Megatron snorted. "You know him THAT well do you? You, who have only known him for a few short months, whereas I have known him for millions of your years?"

Jack had heard enough and activated the drill moving away from the insane warlord who called out to him "I'll be sure to share the details of our little conversation with Optimus! THE DAY I RIP OUT HIS SPARK! And THEN, I will make your mother watch as I exterminate the last remnant of the Kryptonian race!" He threatened

Jack just rolled his eyes and he muttered under his breath, "And if you ever do manage to kill me, the next, and LAST thing you will ever see, will be my sister tearing out YOUR Spark." he countered, too quiet for the warlord to hear.

As he drove away though, he didn't hear the warlord slowly move his servos up and start pushing away at the rubble that encased him…

_Miko and Bulkheads location…_

Miko was panting hard as she continued to pull at rocks. She'd been at this for hours pulling at rocks and peeling away the rubble. At least she was pretty sure it was hours, her phone was dead and it was hard to keep track of time in the cave. Still she persevered, pulling at rocks, trying to clear a path for her and Bulk.

She lifted a particularly heavy rock and stepped back, her arms quivering as she held the large stone. Her arms gave out and she dropped the stone, falling back on her rear with a thud. She let out a pained grunt as she fell and started breathing a little more heavily.

"Miko!" Bulkhead called in concern.

"Whew, I'm feeling strong," she said pushing herself off the ground panting hard.

"No, you're not," Bulkhead stated.

"I-I just need to… whew, rest for a minute," she said standing up weakly "That's all," she said.

Her legs suddenly gave out and she fell back to the ground with a grunt of pain "Miko listen to me, there's no fresh air in here, if you use up the oxygen too fast…" Bulkhead trailed off.

Miko looked up at him with realization "We could suffocate!" she exclaimed.

"Not we Miko, you!" Bulkhead corrected "Autobots don't need to breath, remember?"

"Oh right, throw down in space," she said, and giggled slightly "That was cool,"

She fell forward on her hands panting again "Ok what if I just…slow down…breathe…less," she said and crawled over to a rock and started heaving at it. She grunted as she tried to lift it only to be met with failure.

"No, you need to stop, right now," Bulkhead ordered, worried the girl would hurt herself.

Miko stopped for a moment and looked to her partner "I can't Bulk, I have to get you out of here," she breathed. She heaved at the rock one more time before collapsing on her side, breathing heavily.

"Miko please, don't worry about me," he pleaded. His arms started creaking ominously rocks and debris falling around him.

"I'm fine," he whispered.

He struggled to hold the rock above them when he suddenly heard an odd noise. It was steadily growing louder and he realized it was a con drill. Someone, hopefully Arcee or Jack, was looking for them.

"You hear that!?" Bulkhead asked, ignoring his aching arms.

Miko let out a tired sigh "Sounds like…"

"Drilling, got to be Arcee and Jack," he said hopefully.

"We're in here!" she yelled weakly, her voice cracking.

Bulkhead didn't want the girl expending herself anymore than she'd have to but had no choice "Miko, grab something and bang it on my foot, can you do that?" he asked.

Miko looked over at him weakly before rolling onto her knees and grabbing a rock in her hands. She grunted as she lifted the heavy stone and stumbled over to Bulkhead, breathing heavily as she did.

She stopped at his pede and looked up at her guardian "I don't want to hurt you," she cried weakly.

Bulkhead was touched by the girls concern, but it was unnecessary, "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm tougher than I look," Bulkhead said, trying to get the girl to listen.

He ignored his straining arms and shoulders and looked down directly at her "Now give it all you got," he ordered.

Miko nodded and raised the rock up before slamming it on Bulkheads pede. A loud echoing boom shot forward from the hit, and she repeated the process, again, and again, and again.

"That a girl keep at it," Bulkhead encouraged.

Miko rested for a moment before a loud screech of metal on metal echoed through the cave "What was that?" she asked with worry.

"N-nothing, keep banging," Bulkhead ordered quickly. The wrecker looked at his arm and saw it shaking, slowly giving out.

More rubble and noises echoed through the cave, and Miko looked up at her friend "Bulkhead, what's happening?" she asked.

He was silent for several seconds "Tell me!" she demanded, her voice wavering with fear and worry.

Bulkhead looked from side to side before looking at Miko "My arms, they're starting to give," he admitted.

Miko's eyes widened in horror while Bulkhead grunted and groaned, his arms now constantly groaning in protest "Does it hurt?" she asked.

Bulkhead grunted "A little," he said and one of his arms suddenly dropped slightly. Rocks and dust fell from the ceiling as the weight shifted.

"Bulkhead!" Miko screamed.

Bulkhead ignored his pain, he could hear the drill getting closer, its whirr very noticeable "Helps coming… we just gotta guide them here," he said, "Hit me again," he ordered.

Miko looked at him hesitantly, not wanting to worsen his position.

"Miko, do it!" he ordered.

Hesitantly, Miko picked up the rock again and began banging it on his pede. She banged on it three times before collapsing, too exhausted to keep it up.

"Are they getting any closer?" Bulkhead asked.

"I can't tell," she said standing up, "the sound is all…" she moaned in exhaustion as her knees hit the floor.

"Freaky in here," she growled.

The two were silent for a moment before a sound of shifting rubble caught their attention. Miko looked up with happiness, a large smile on her face. Bulkhead looked up at the collapsed entrance and saw the larger boulders shifting and moving. They'd found them!

The wrecker let out a happy laugh "Ha-ha yes!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Miko sat up and let out a tearful laugh "Arcee found us!" she exclaimed.

One of the boulders shot forward and a gravelly voice could be heard cackling through the opening. The smoke around the hole faded and the silver form of Starscream could be seen.

"Put any doubt of my allegiance to rest," he said before he himself looked into the hole. A look of surprise appeared on his faceplate as he saw the Autobot and his human partner.

Miko stood up, breathing in fresh new air that was pouring in from the hole before speaking "What's he doing down here?" she demanded.

Bulkhead looked to his charge "Miko, get behind me," he ordered. The girl looked at him hesitantly.

"NOW!" Miko stood up to run behind her guardians leg when the remaining rubble was shoved forward. Rocks thudded across the floor and dust billowed outwards as Starscream broke through the barrier in seconds. Miko was tossed to the ground as he accomplished what she had tried to do for hours.

"Well, well," Starscream said, his voice dripping with fake cheer, "if it isn't bulkhead and his pet vermin," he sneered, gesturing to the girl.

He looked up at the boulder the wrecker was supporting and smirked "My, you do have your hands full, don't you Autobot?"

"Do whatever you want to me Starscream, but let the human go!" the wrecker demanded.

"No I'm not leaving you Bulkhead, I'm not afraid of him. He wouldn't dare hurt us," she said confidently.

"Oh?" Starscream asked with mock interest, leaning down to eye level with the human "And why would that be human?"

Miko glared at the con, standing defiant "Because if you so much as touch us, Jack will. Rip. You. Apart," she growled.

Starscream's widened in fear his confidence being replaced with horror "W-wait h-_he's_ here!? B-but t-that's impossible… We got _rid_ of him!" he screamed in horror.

At that exact moment, another wall came tumbling down as a large Decepticon drill broke through the wall, causing it to collapse. Once the smoke cleared, a very angry Jack could be seen floating next to the drill.

His shirt was burned, exposing his under suit, but besides that he was unharmed. However, his eyes were glowing a very threatening red. And they were directed at the cowardly SIC who had stood back up by now.

"You sure about that screamer, because last I checked I've been back for a few days now," he said smirking.

Starscream laughed nervously as he backed away from the group "W-why J-jack what a… pleasant surprise. I was just… talking with your compatriots over there and was considering helping them," he said nervously.

Jack frowned "You must take me for an idiot Starscream, I heard the whole conversation over the drill," he said floating closer to the con.

Starscream immediately backed away "I take it I don't need to tell you what happens to those who threaten my friends," Jack growled, floating dangerously close to the SIC

"No please I'm sorry!" Starscream screamed, falling to his knees and clasping his servos together "Just let me go and I promise I won't bother you!" he begged.

Jack smiled "Fine, go," he said waving away.

Starscream blinked, puzzled "Y-you're serious?" he asked.

"Of course, but it's not me you have to worry about," Jack said, grinning slightly.

"I-it's not?" the seeker asked, slowly walking backwards "T-then w-who?" he asked, right as he felt a blaster place itself against the back of his head.

"That'd be her," Jack said and the SIC turned around to see Arcee standing there, blaster armed and pointed at his faceplate.

"Hey Bulk, Jack, Miko," she greeted.

"Hey Cee," they greeted in unison.

She returned her attention to Starscream "Raise your hands," she ordered.

Starscream looked for some sort of way out, when he heard a cough from his side and saw Jack floating there, glaring at him. He stopped and drooped his wigs and arms in defeat, letting out a pitiful moan of defeat…

_Outside the Mine…_

A large green SUV and a blue motorcycle rocketed out of the cave, their engines roaring as they did. Both came skidding to a stop a good few hundred feet away from the cave entrance, letting their respective passengers off.

Jack got off Arcee who quickly transformed back to normal, along with Bulkhead. The two Cybertronians walked forward, their charges standing by their feet.

"We could finish them, here and now," Arcee said, glaring at the mine entrance.

"Shame we didn't bring any grenades," Bulkhead growled, slamming his fist together for emphasis.

"Would… Optimus finish them?" Jack asked from beside his girlfriend.

"No," she admitted, "He probably wouldn't, not like this,"

"But Optimus wouldn't rescue them either, right?" Miko asked innocently.

No one said anything, staying silent till Bulkhead broke that silence "Let's… go home," he said and walked away.

Jack followed after Bulkhead and Miko before stopping and turning to see Arcee still glaring at the cave. She let out a sigh and turned to follow them, walking beside her partner while Bulkhead called for a bridge to base.

"So…" Jack started while they waited for the bridge "were you worried?" he asked.

Arcee looked down at him "You're a tough kid, why would I be worried?" she asked.

Jack tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms "Okay, maybe a little worried," she admitted.

Jack smiled "I thought so," he said before smirking "But you're going to need a bath," he commented.

Arcee raised a brow "You're one to talk," she countered "June's going to through a fit when she sees what you did to your shirt… again," Arcee said.

Jack looked at the tattered remains of his shirts, the symbol of his super suit showing proudly from beneath it. Arcee had a point, his mom would throw a fit when she found out what happened, Jack only hoped it wasn't too bad…

_Autobot HQ…_

"JACKSON WILLIAM DARBY, KAL-EL!" June yelled as he walked through the portal with the others.

He winced at the use of both his full names. This was going to be a painful few minutes, to say the least.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was!?" she demanded, storming up to her son. Jack looked past her to see Kara silently chuckling at her brothers expense.

"And look at what happened to your shirt!" she said gesturing to its tattered remains "What happened?" she asked.

"Ugh…" Jack started before Arcee interrupted.

"Small incident at the mine June, nothing to be worried about," she said, covering for her boyfriend. Last time June got mad with Jack, it had ended with the two being grounded from riding together.

Of course she hadn't known about Arcee at the time, so there was no telling what her punishment would be this time. So Arcee covering for Jack was in the couples favor this time.

June looked at the femme suspiciously before raising her arms in surrender "Fine fine, got it," she said angrily before storming off.

"Dude, you are so screwed," Miko said earning a glare from Jack.

"Not helping Miko," he growled. The girl laughed at him and ran up to the platform where Raf and Kara where waiting doing he knows what.

Jack heard the sound of thunderous footsteps once she was gone and turned to see Optimus approaching him "Jack, Arcee and Bulkhead informed me of the events that occurred in the mine, but I wish to know what happened before you met up with them," he said.

Jack looked up at the Prime and sighed "Sure Optimus, but can we talk about this in private?" he asked.

Optimus simply nodded and stood up, walking into one of the hallways Jack on his heels. They quickly moved out of earshot of the remaining bots. Minus Arcee and Bulkhead of course, who were in their respective wash racks cleaning off the filth from the cave in.

Jack quickly cleared his mind of the image of his girlfriend in the shower and looked up at Optimus "What exactly occurred?" Optimus asked.

Jack sighed and explained all the events of what happened leading up to him finding the drill and using it to search for the others. He paused when he reached the part with Megatron. He wasn't sure how Optimus would react to this new that he'd let a chance to end the war slip by so easily.

Optimus noticed the pause "Jack, what happened?" he asked, his voice calm and soft.

"I…I found Megatron buried under the rubble," Jack said finally "He tried urging me to use the drill to kill him, to end the war… He said that that's what you would do," Jack said hanging his head.

"What was your decision?" Optimus asked. Jack was silent, not saying a word.

"Jack?"

"I let him live," Jack said finally, looking up at the Prime "I let a chance to end the war slip through my fingers because I believed you wouldn't have killed him when he was so helpless,"

Jack looked at the Prime with a pleading look "You wouldn't have killed him right?" he asked, the doubt obvious in his voice.

Optimus was silent for several moments and Jack felt his pulse start to rise in worry. Had he really messed up that badly? Had he possibly ruined their only chance to end the war by not ending him then and there?

"No Jack, I wouldn't have killed him," Optimus finally said, causing Jack to widen his eyes in shock.

"Y-you wouldn't?" he asked in amazement.

Optimus shook his head "No, and the fact that you made the decision to spare him is one you should be proud of Jack. It's one thing to kill in the heat of battle, but to kill in cold blood… It goes against everything the Autobots stand for," Optimus said.

"So I'm not in trouble?" Jack asked "I didn't mess up?"

Optimus smiled ever so faintly "No Jackson, you didn't mess up," he said.

"Now let's return to base, it is late and your mother will want you to return home soon," Optimus said.

Jack nodded "Thanks Optimus," he said, as they made their way into the main hall.

"You are welcome Jack," he said softly as the teen made his way over to his friends and family. Optimus smiled as he watched the teen who'd once been withdrawn and anti-social. He was changing and changing fast into a good dependable ally. Optimus was glad to have made his acquaintance…

_Darby Residence…_

Jack, June, and Kara exited the ground bridge into their garage as Arcee had to stay at base for the night so Ratchet could run diagnostics. She promised she'd see him at school tomorrow, but that fighting the Hatchet, a nickname she'd picked up from the alternate dimension for the resident medic, was a bad idea.

Jack had been okay with it, not wanting anything to be wrong with the femme. Now though he was ready to get a few hours of sleep before another day at school tomorrow. Jack groaned as he realized that if Sierra was going to ask him out now, he'd be spending the whole day tomorrow turning girls down. Fantastic.

"Something the matter Jack?" Kara asked as they walked in.

"Not eager for school tomorrow," he moaned, earning a chuckle from Kara.

"I don't see what's so funny Kara, you're going with him tomorrow," June stated.

Kara froze "What!?" she demanded "I thought it would be a few days before…"

"Turns out the paperwork was a lot easier to fill out than Fowler thought it'd be," June said with a smiled, holding a several documents they'd somehow missed earlier.

"Congrats, you're officially a Darby," she said walking to her room.

Kara sagged her shoulders and sighed "Fantastic," she muttered.

"What, being a Darby isn't _that_ bad," Jack said to her.

Kara glared at her brother "You know _exactly_ what I mean Kal," she growled.

Jack raised his hands in surrender, slowly walking to his room "Hey, just keep in mind, if anyone gives you trouble, just call for me and I'll straighten them out," he said and slipped into his room right as Kara shot a small beam of heat vision at the door, leaving two black burn marks on the wood.

"Oops," she muttered as she walked into her own new room. It was relatively plain, June said they needed to get decorations for it. For now it had a simple bed with a nightstand next to it, and a small dresser at the foot. Her clothes she'd been forced to buy with Amber where kept in there and changed into her own pajamas before slipping under the covers.

There was one plus to her room though, the bed was a lot more comfortable than the couch at Autobot base Beta…

**A/N: Does this even count as a cliffhanger? I'm not sure. Regardless, fun chapter to write, and a shout out to Guardian of Azarath for the dialogue between Megatron and Jack as well as Starscream's reaction. Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter in the reviews. You know, that thing that lets me know if the story is any good? Yeah drop your opinion in there. Please? Oh and PM me with plot ideas or questions. I don't bite… At least not anymore. On that note, bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Thievery

_Darby Residence…_

Jack groaned as his new alarm clock woke him from sleep. He quickly slapped the snooze button lightly, careful not to shatter it again. Once he'd shut off the clock bringing back blissful silence into his room, Jack slowly got up, rubbing his hands over his face.

Another day of school, with the added bonus of his sister tagging along. He shuddered, it was going to be a long day, he could already tell.

The teen got out of bed and quickly got showered and dressed before exiting the room. He looked towards the kitchen and saw no one was there. Odds were that Kara was still asleep, they'd forgotten to give the girl an alarm clock.

Sighing, Jack walked to Kara's room, easing open the door to see the girl was fast asleep in her bed. Jack eased his way in and almost felt bad for what he was about to do… Almost.

Grinning, Jack stood next to his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder "Kara, wake up," he said gently shaking her.

Like Arcee, the girl just moaned and slapped his hand away. Jack shook his head and sighed again. Why did all the women he know refuse to wake up when someone gently woke them up?

Returning to his grin, Jack placed his hands on Kara's sides and began tickling her. That woke her up.

Her eyes shot open in shock and she began squirming "K-Kal, STOP!" she squealed.

"Sorry Kara, time to get ready for school and you wouldn't wake up," he said with a grin.

Instead of saying anything, Kara kicked her brother in the chest, launching him through the open door. He crashed into the carpeted floor with a thud as the girl got out of bed. She stormed to her door, glared at Jack as he got off the floor and slammed the door on him.

"And I thought Arcee reacted violently to getting woken up," he muttered as he returned to the kitchen, fixing a small bowl of cereal before they would go. While he snacked on the only sugary substance in the house, he noticed a two sheets of paper on the table.

Curious, Jack picked up the first piece of paper and examined it. It was a note from his mother telling him she'd be at work for longer than usual. She probably wouldn't be home till 12 that night. Jack sighed, he wasn't too shocked by this but he'd let it go.

He noticed a small little attachment at the end of the note that read: _P.S I left Kara's school schedule on the table, make sure she gets it. _

Jack looked up from the note at the other piece of paper that was folded neatly on the table. Placing his mothers note on the table, he picked up the schedule and folded it open. After a quick breeze through the schedule, Jack found that Kara had the exact same classes as he did.

The teen smiled "Thank you Agent Fowler," he murmured.

"What was that Kal?" Kara yawned walking into the room while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She was dressed in a red top with tan pants and a pair of white sneakers. It seemed that the girl really liked to wear red, and he wouldn't fault her for it. He always wore the same two shirt combo with his typical blue jeans so he couldn't judge.

"Oh, your school schedule, you have the same classes as me," he said passing her the paper.

Kara looked over the class and frowned "Something wrong?" he asked.

"I already know most of this stuff Kal," she said motioning to the paper "Math, science, English, I learned all of this on Krypton before I came to Earth," she explained.

"Well you're not going to school for the education, its more for the social experience right? Learning how humans act, right?" he asked.

His sister shrugged "I suppose you have a point, but still," she looked over the paper again "What's gym?" she asked.

"Oh it's a class where we do physical sports," he explained to her.

"I imagine you do well in that class brother," she said smirking.

Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously "Yeah… I've had to hide my abilities for a while Kara, holding back so that I don't accidently hurt anyone or give away my abilities," he said.

"Well everyone knows who you are, so I don't think you need to anymore," she replied.

Jack sighed "Kara, these people are delicate. I can't abuse my powers just to do unnaturally well in gym,"

Kara returned his sigh "You're hopeless brother," she said.

Jack rolled his eyes and stood from his seat "It's about time to go, you ready?" he asked.

Kara nodded "I take it we're walking since Arcee had to stay at base?"

"Yep," he responded as the two siblings walked out of the house. Looking towards the direction of the school, the two started the relatively short walk to the school. Jack had walked there before, it took about 10 or 15 minutes by foot.

Apparently this was too long for Kara who appeared to be getting antsy. She looked about ready to take off and Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl looked to him and he shook his head.

"Remember what I said about not abusing your powers?" he asked.

Kara sighed "Curse you and your rules Kal," she grumbled.

"I love you to sister," he said with a laugh. The two continued their walk in relative silence until they eventually came to the school. Jack checked his phone to see that the first period had just ended.

He looked to Kara "See that wasn't so bad was it?" he asked innocently.

Kara just glared at him before looking back at the school grumbling to herself in a hushed tone. Jack looked back at the school and used his X-ray vision to see through the school. It seemed the halls were a little less crowded than usual, luck for them.

He turned back to Kara as they stopped at the entrance "You're going to have to go to the principal's office and talk to the principal. He'll give you your locker and welcome you to the school," he explained.

Kara seemed to become more withdrawn at the mention of this. It seemed that for as reckless as his sister could be, she would grow shy whenever she met new people. The idea of meeting the principal probably had her worried sick.

"Hey don't worry about it, the principal is a nice guy, you'll be fine," Jack said trying to comfort her.

"Thanks Kal but do they all know that you and I aren't…" Kara trailed off.

"Human?" he finished.

She nodded in conformation "Yeah they all know, don't worry they're all accepting of it. Pretty sure most of the school has gotten over it," he said confidently.

Kara let out a minor breath of relief "Alright, let's get this over with," she grumbled. Nodding, Jack opened the doors and the two walked into the sea of people. Unlike before when everyone had stopped to stare at Jack, no one paid the pair any mind, something Jack was grateful for.

"The office is just down the hall to your right," he said to Kara pointing down the hall. Kara nodded her thanks and walked off to the office. She tried her best to avoid eye contact with the others, despite this she could feel the occasional glance thrown her way.

But to her relief she'd quickly managed to find the office and knocked on the door "Come in," a strong voice said from inside.

She eased open the door and looked inside the office. It was a well organized office, with several filing cabinets on either side, files stacked next to and on them. There was a desk in the center of the room with two chairs in front of it. The desk itself looked sturdy if not a little cheap, and was covered in papers and various miscellaneous items. A computer monitor was placed in the corner and she had a feeling that the keyboard was on a sliding under the main desk.

The Principal wore a button down shirt with a tie and black pants. He was a tall man, towering over even Jack or Kara, and seemed to be in decent shape, with a natural tan and black hair. He had hard but kind looking brown eyes and black hair that was just starting to grey. He appeared to be a very kind and understanding man. He wore a small nametag that read _Principal Norman._

"Please sit down," he said motioning to one of the chairs.

Kara nodded and sat down, only slightly trembling "Now you must be Kara Darby, correct?" he asked.

"I am," she answered, thankful she had better control of her voice than her brother.

The principal looked down at a sheet of paper "I didn't know that Jack even had a sister," he said.

"You know my brother?" she asked.

The Principal smiled "Kara, the whole school knows your brother after his little throw down in the town. But I've known him far longer and always had suspicions that he was more different than he let on," he explained before moving on.

"I do have one question though Kara. Are you like your brother?" he asked.

"You mean… not human?" she asked. The principal nodded in confirmation.

"No, I'm not human, I'm Kryptonian," Kara admitted, afraid of what comes next.

The principal smiled "Then I'm honored to be the first principal to have two alien teenagers coming to my school," he said and stood up handing a slip of paper to her.

"Here is your locker number Kara, I'd recommend you find it first before going to class," he suggested.

Kara nodded "Thank you Mr. Norman," she said, happy to see that her brother wasn't lying about the principal being a nice guy.

She walked out of the office and made her way to her locker number. Figuring out the combo on the slip was easy enough and she opened the locker checking out the various books or supplies she might need. Since math was first on her classes she grabbed a math book and closed the locker…

Only to see Vince standing there with a smug grin on his face. Kara inwardly groaned, she remembered meeting that smug jerk in the alternate dimension when she'd gone shopping with Amber and Dusk. He'd tried hitting on all three of them before Dusk planted him on the ground. Now though she wasn't sure what to do if the jerk tried it.

"Hey, you're new here right?" he asked.

"Yeah…" she said warily stepping back. If Vince noticed he gave no sign.

"Well me and some of my friends are going out for a race. If you want I could let you tag along," he said.

Kara opened her mouth to respond when another voice interrupted her "Are you hitting on my sister Vince?" Jack demanded from behind the bully. Vince whirled around to see Jack standing there and visibly gulped.

"Darby! She's… I mean your sister?" He asked obviously terrified.

A red glint passed through Jacks eyes "You didn't answer my question Vince," he growled.

"Ugh… no I was just…" and he took off running unable to come up with any excuse.

Jack watched him leave and chuckled before turning to Kara "You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, does that usually happen at school?" she asked, pointing her thumb towards the direction Vince ran in.

"Yeah, don't let it get to you, you're new here the guys are going to be swarming over you for a while," he warned gesturing for her to follow.

Kara frowned at this and realized today was going to be longer than she'd thought "Though since you are taller than most of the guys in school you might scare most of them off," Jack quipped as they made their way into math class. The result was a slap upside the head from his sister.

"I deserved that," he admitted as the two took their seats at their desks. After that little exchange class promptly started and Kara knew she was going to be in for a long day. Maybe for humans the class would be challenging, but she'd learned this stuff when she was 8. Granted even by Kryptonian standards she was well educated, but that was besides the point.

About halfway through class Kara had to stifle a yawn, she'd finished the assigned in class work in record times and the notes were boring her. Unfortunately the teacher, a Mr. Brockway, noticed her yawning and stopped writing on the board.

"Am I boring you young lady?" he demanded.

Kara sat up straighter and pointed to herself "Yes I'm talking to you, am I boring you?" he demanded again.

"No offense Mr. Brockway, but those equations are easy," Kara explained.

Brockway narrowed his eyes "That so?" he asked. Jack gave his sister a warning look, but she didn't pay him any attention.

"Yes, it is," she answered confidently.

"Fine, if you believe these equations to be so simple why don't I write one of my 'easy' equations down and you answer it? If you answer it correctly, no homework for a week, but if you answer it incorrectly detention," he said crossing his arms.

Kara shrugged "Sure, why not," she said standing out of her chair.

Brockway huffed and erased the notes on the board and began writing out one of the most difficult equations he could think of. He'd dealt with smart alecks before, and the rest of the class was used to this as his form of punishment for those who didn't show proper respect. So far no one had managed to solve his equations when he got like this.

Apparently he was putting his all in it, because when he was done, Jack felt his brain implode. He was pretty sure that once Math started using numbers as its main form of communication, you were screwed.

Brockway stood away from the board with a smug look on his face "Let's see you solve that missy," he said proudly.

Kara shrugged again and walked up to the whiteboard. She uncapped a marker, looked up at the equation, and began writing out the answer. Not once did she stop, though if one listened they could hear her mumbling to herself in a symphony of various languages, Kryptonian being the most obvious. In less than thirty seconds Kara stood back from the board, the equation finished.

Brockway looked over her answer, and slowly his jaw fell open. His eyes were wide with shock and his fists clenched repeatedly. He turned to look at Kara with amazement.

"H-h-how d-d-did you manage to s-solve t-that?" he stuttered.

Kara smiled "My father was a good teacher," she said with a shrug.

"W-what i-is y-your name?" he asked.

"Kara Darby," she replied before grinning "But my real name is Kara Jor-El," she said proudly.

Brockway turned to Jack who slowly slid into his seat as everyone looked at him. If Kara planned on acting like this the whole day, it was going to be a looong day for him…

_Autobot HQ…_

Arcee stretched as she sat at base waiting for the time to go pick up Jack and Kara. So far the day had been a dull stretch once Ratchet had finished his checkup on Bulkhead and her.

All she'd really done was made sure to polish and clean her armor, fuel up on some Energon, and then sparring practice.

No con activity what so ever, and she didn't really want to go driving right now. It was fun to drive from time to time, but without Jack something felt… lost. He added to it, like her conversations with Cliffjumper before his death. Only now even more so than ever before.

Arcee sighed miserably as she walked into the main hall, and Ratchet groaned "Arcee, I know you are bored, but can you please go pester someone else about it!?" he demanded angrily.

"Why don't you just go and visit Jack if you're so bored?" he asked.

"Ratchet he's in the middle of school with Kara on her first day. I don't need to add to the chaos she's causing," Arcee said crossing her arms.

Ratchet snorted "Fine, than at the very least can you go check out this small Energon signature I've detected?" he asked.

Arcee raised and optic ridge "Did you forget what we found at the last small Energon signature you sent me too?" she asked.

"It's surface based this time, and I've detected no Decepticon presence this time," he assured her.

The femme sighed "Guess it's better than curbside duty," she said, referencing the current assignments for Bee and Bulkhead who were to watch over their charges parents in case the cons got any ideas. June didn't need any protection, because if the cons ever tried anything they knew that Jack and Kara would hunt them down.

Optimus was out scouting another larger Energon deposit and was regularly reporting in to Ratchet.

Ratchet inputted the coordinates on the terminal and pulled a lever. The bridge swirled to life and the femme walked through. She walked out into a forested area with tall trees and large rocks littering the ground. She pulled the Energon scanner out of her subspace activating it and turning to her left.

She followed the signal for several hundred feet, the signal slowly growing stronger. Her metal feet would occasionally echo against the rocks of the forest, but besides that the forest was very quiet. Serene even.

It made Arcee consider possible places for her and Jack to go later after Friday. After all, not all their dates needed to be public. Sometimes a little alone time could be appreciated. She'd need to talk with the teen and his mother though, since his last experiences in the forest were… less than pleasant.

Arcee shook her head clear of such thoughts as she entered a small rocky clearing. She approached were the signal was emanating from and stopped as a high pitch squeal emanated from the scanner. She looked down at her feet to see a single piece of Energon lying at her feet.

She knelt down by the mineral and lifted it in a servo examining it. It didn't appear to have grown their natural, and the cut looked… uneven, made by a tool that wasn't Decepticon in nature. Question was, why was it out here?

Her processor made the connection right as she heard an odd buzzing sound flying through the air. She turned around just in time to see a bolt of electrical energy buzz towards her. She let out a pained yell as it slammed into her chest, right where her spark was, and the energy flowed into her.

She fell on her side, her systems slowly shutting down. She felt her optics begin to dim right as a group of black and green suited men approached her from the forest. The last thought that went through her processor was her kicking herself for falling into such an obvious trap…

_Jasper High…_

Jack slammed his head against a wall as the kids filed themselves in for gym. To say it had been a long day would be the understatement of the century. After that little escapade in class, Kara's shy demeanor had practically melted away for all the other classes.

Jack was just thankful that math and biology were first, as she'd been at her worst in that class, science especially. His biology teacher had taken an interest in the two upon finding out they weren't human, but had kept his questions to a minimum…

That is until Kara had come to class and happily proceeded to lecture the entire class on Kryptonian biology. Not just the ecosystems or the planets, but how their bodies worked and how they reacted to the conditions on Earth.

Jack had pretty much wished that invisibility was in his list of powers, but tried pretty hard to disappear anyway. The fact that several kids from that class were now staying as far from him as possible didn't help. A lot of people seemed scared by what he and his sister could do, and right now Jack wasn't happy with his sister for it.

Of course, he couldn't stay mad at her, Kara was to nice for him to. He knew she didn't mean to do what she did but that didn't help her case all that much. He was still trying to decide what to say to her when he saw her next.

At that exact moment, Kara walked up to her brother, dressed in the typical green and white PE uniform "Kal, is something wrong?"she asked, "you've been avoiding me ever since biology,"

"Nothing is wrong Kara, nothing at all," he growled.

Kara narrowed her eyes "That's a load of scrap Kal and you know it," she declared.

Jack turned to her as the rest of the kids were filing in "It's not a problem you could fix Kara," he told her.

She raised a brow "Wanna bet?" she demanded.

"No because there is nothing you could do to get the kids at school to stop looking at me like a freak, like some sort of monster!" he exclaimed angrily.

Kara stepped back from her brother in shock. Jack had never yelled at her before. This had to be worse than he was letting on.

"I spent my whole life trying to go unnoticed in school, and in one class you managed to undo it all!" he yelled.

"Kal, I'm sorry I didn't know that was so important to you," she said sadly.

Jack sighed "It's not your fault Kara, like you said, you didn't know. I should have told you or mentioned it," he said and Kara looked down in shame.

"Hey, forget about it," he said, realizing how bad his reaction was "let's just move on okay?" he asked.

Kara nodded and the two followed the last of the stragglers into the gym. The gym was the general use building of the school with an incredibly high ceiling tall enough to fit Megatron inside it. It had wood floors and a basketball court in the middle, with wooden bleachers that could be pulled in or out on either side of the room.

Currently the gym class was sitting on the smaller side while the Coach, a Mr. Bartling, explained what the task for today was. He was a tall well built man dressed in a similar uniform as his students, but wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses.

"Today we are going to play dodge-ball," he announced, eliciting cheers and groans from the audience.

"The rules are simple, hit those on the other team with one of these to get them out," he said holding a red rubber ball "If they catch it, you are out and they can bring back another teammate who got out earlier. If they manage to use the ball they are holding to deflect your shot, neither player is out,"

He stepped to the side and pointed at a blue line in the center of the court "If anyone steps over that line, they are out and everyone on the opposite team gets back in," he explained "There will be no heads shots, no groin shots, or hitting someone while their backs are turned," he looked at the audience.

"We will be playing boys versus girls!" he finished and stepped away as the large group of roughly 60 teenagers rushed onto the court. Jack looked to his sister as they walked onto their respective courts.

"Remember," he started.

"I know, I know, don't use my full strength," she finished.

Jack smiled lightly as he disappeared into the crowd of people. Dodge-ball wasn't usually his kind of game and he tended to stay in the background. He loved the concept, but didn't want to see what kind of damage he could do with one.

"Ready?" the coach asked and several kids kneeled forward aiming to grab the balls at the center of the court (To those who just laughed at that *Slap* get your mind out of the gutter).

"Dodge-ball!" he announced and stepped back as chaos ensued. Kids rushed forward and grabbed the balls running back and flinging them at each other. Contrary to popular belief, the girls tended to do just as well as the boys so both sides stayed fairly even.

Jack just did his best to dodge the throws at him as easily as possible. He heard a whistling sound and turned in time to get hit in the middle of the stomach, getting launched out of court. He landed with an grunt hard on the floor.

He heard a laugh from the opposite court and looked up to see Kara standing there laughing, Miko standing next to her. He should have figured as much, that girl was a bad influence on his sister.

"Darby your back in!" he heard a voice yell and turned to see Vince gesturing for him to get back in, ball in hand.

Jack stood up and walked back onto court before Vince tossed him the ball "You're not going to take that laying down are you?" he asked.

Two weeks ago Jack would have found Vince's behavior a little odd. But after yesterday he could consider the guy at least a good acquaintance if not a decent friend.

Jack grinned, gripping the ball tighter "Not a chance," he said and turned to Kara and Miko, who were talking about something.

Jack slowly stalked forward, deflecting the occasional ball with his own tell he was closer. Miko turned and saw him as he reared back and took off. Kara looked around confused only to focus on Jack right as the ball collided with her feet. She flipped end over end rather comically till she landed face first on the floor, winded but unharmed.

Jack let out a laugh as she got to her, feet glaring at her brother. A girl called her back in before she even left the court and tossed her a ball. She grabbed hold of it and looked at Jack with an evil grin.

"Uh-oh," he said and dived to the side as the ball obliterated the air where he once stood. There was a loud bouncing sound as the ball ricochet off the wall and proceeded to knock the coach unconscious. A quick glance from Jack revealed he was unharmed, just out cold.

Another ball came whistling towards him and Jack dodged it, realizing that both sides had singled out Kara and himself as the main threats. Someone tossed him a ball and he caught it, right as two came flying at him from the girls side.

He ducked under the first one while jumping over the one below him. He threw the ball hard as he did, and was rewarded with a satisfying thunk as he took Miko in the arm, spinning the Asian girl in place before she fell on her back.

Jack landed on his feet and saw something that truly terrified him. Kara leapt from the back of the court with a ball held over head while she flew to him. She slammed the ball towards him and Jack barely dodged out of the way. There was a loud crack as it impacted the floor and bounced up before bouncing off the ceiling.

Everyone looked at the crack in the floor and several boys in unison said "All yours buddy," and several dodge-balls were flung to him as the majority of the boys proceeded to back off, the girls doing the same with Kara.

Jack looked to his sister and she looked back at him with an evil grin. This was going to be quiet the painful battle between the two.

Kara took off running across the ground flinging the dodge-balls at her brother who dodged and weaved the throws. He slid under one and flung one at her , causing her to leap over the ball and twist to face the opposite direction running while Jack fired his own barrage at her.

She leapt over the barrage dodging and weaving as well just like her brother. She twisted in the air and grabbed a ball on bouncing across the floor and tossed it at Jack. There was a boom as he was shot back from the impact and collided with the wall.

Everyone looked at the teen in shock before looking at Jack was currently leaving a good imprint in the wall. He slowly peeled off the wall and landed on his back. He got up shakily, holding his hands over his chest while the others watched.

He looked up and grinned before unfurling his arms. He produced the ball Kara had thrown at him and smirked as the girl's jaw dropped. She stalked off the court and the game resumed…

_Elsewhere…_

Arcee's optics slowly came back online as she stared up at the cloudy sky. The clouds were dark and grey, no sign of the blue Earth sky. It would probably start raining soon, adding to her horrible day.

She slowly sat up, grunting as she did. She felt a minor pain in her side but ignored it as she stood, trying to remember what had happened. She was scouting an Energon signature, had found it and then…darkness.

She activated her comm. to try and call base. Big mistake. Ratchets gruff voice blared over the comm. "Arcee, I repeat, do you read me?" he demanded.

"I read you Ratchet," she groaned, rubbing her audio receptor.

The medic let out a sigh of relief "Thank the all spark, I've been trying to get a hold of you for several hours," he said.

Arcee perked up "What do you mean several hours? What time is it?" she asked hurriedly.

"2:30," he replied.

Arcee silently thanked Primus for that small blessing, she wouldn't have to wait long to see Jack "Arcee, can you get out of your basic area? I've detected several Decepticon signatures incoming to your position," Ratchet reported.

"Roger that," she replied and cut off the comm. She turned towards the forest and transformed. Or at least tried. All she was rewarded with was a pathetic whine and slight shifting of her form.

"What the?" she asked herself confused. She tried again only to be met with the same result.

"Okay, what's going on?" she demanded, when she heard the sound of jets. She turned to look and saw several cons lead by Starscream transform and land in front of her.

"Why Arcee, how pleasant to see you again," the con sneered, still remembering there last encounter.

Arcee stepped back "Shame I can't extend the courtesy," she growled and attempted to activate her weapons. If she was going to go down, she was going to go down fighting. But again all she was rewarded with was a pitiful whine.

She looked down at her servos in shock and back at the cons, more specifically Starscream who was laughing at her "Well it seems like a certain femme has forgotten how to transform," he taunted before straightening up and pointing a single clawed servo at Arcee, "Seize her," he ordered.

The Vehicons activated their weapons and opened fire while Arcee turned tail and ran into the forest, dodging weapons fire. She tried activating her weapons repeatedly while running but was always met with the same result. Nothing but a pitiful whine.

Arcee commed Ratchet while she ran "Ratchet, I need a bridge NOW!" she yelled.

The medic didn't bother to reprimand her, and several seconds later the bridge materialized in front of her. Arcee stopped briefly to look at her pursuers before rushing into the portal. She emerged into the base running at full speed.

"Close it now!" she ordered as she skid to a stop. The portal closed behind her and Ratchet looked at Arcee.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Cons, they showed up and attacked me," she explained.

"I doubt a few cons could have caused you to be that desperate," Ratchet said suspiciously.

"I couldn't fight back," she admitted looking away "I tried to use my weapons but every time I tried, this happened," she said and demonstrated the pitiful whine that emanated from her arms when she tried to activate her blasters.

Ratchet narrowed his optics "Med bay," he ordered, "Now,"

Arcee nodded and made her way to the Med bay and sat on a berth, waiting for Ratchet to figure out what was wrong with her. The medic approached her and activated his scanner, scanning the femme. He examined the results and let out a small gasp.

"What is it Ratchet, something wrong with my T-Cog?" she asked.

"That's just it," Ratchet said, "Your T-Cog… It's gone,"

**A/N: MWA HAHAHA! Another cliffhanger! Okay show of hands, how many of you expected THAT going into the chapter. Those of you I told put your hands down. Anyway, what did you guys think? Good chapter, bad chapter? I need to know! Your reviews make this stuff worth writing! Anyway, remember to PM me with plot based ideas or questions. Adios!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Crippled

_Jasper High…_

Jack looked at the quivering mass of white goo on his tray that was supposed to be school food. He wasn't sure what exactly it was, but every time he poked it with a spork it just jiggled in place. Sighing, he placed the spork down and looked up at those assembled at their lunch table.

Miko and Raf where there, as well as Kara who wasn't sure what to make of the food either "What… is this?" she asked poking at it.

"School food, though I'm pretty sure food is an exaggeration," Raf explained. He was the only one here smart enough to bring his own food from home.

"I think mine just moved," Miko said, pushing her tray away from herself. Jack and Kara followed suit, keeping the substance away from themselves.

Once they'd moved it away Miko looked to Kara "So how are you enjoying your first day at a human school?" she asked.

Kara shrugged "Different than on Krypton, but then I was… what's the phrase you humans use?" she asked, looking at the two.

"Home schooled?" Raf answered.

Kara nodded "Yes home schooled. Father raised me from when I was young," she explained.

"Explains why you are such a math and science wiz," Jack muttered taking a drink of water.

Kara looked to Jack confused "Wiz is slang for genius or intelligent person," he explained to her.

"Oh," she said "That makes some sense, I guess by human standards I would be fairly intelligent, wouldn't I?" she asked sheepishly.

"You could say that," Miko muttered before grinning "But that dodge-ball match you and Jack had was EPIC!" she yelled jumping up slightly.

"What dodge-ball match?" Raf asked, having not heard about it yet.

"Me and Kara got into a bit of a… fight during gym using dodge-balls," Jack explained.

"If by fight you mean a full out war!" Miko said laughing.

"I don't think I've ever seen a dodge-ball actually pop from hitting someone so hard," she said laughing and Jack sub consciously crossed his legs.

The match had eventually ended with Kara getting the final point via a crotch shot at her brother. Even he wasn't immune to a red rubber ball flying 300 mph at his groin area. The injury was only made worse by the fact that the ball had actually _exploded_ on impact. Jack had been speaking several octaves higher for a good half hour afterwards.

"Let's not talk about _that_," he warned, inciting giggles from both girls.

"Point is," Jack continued, ignoring their laughs "the gym will be in need of some refurbishing after the damage we caused today," he explained to Raf.

"Well, that's what happens when you let two Kryptonians play dodge-ball, let's just be thankful that football is non-physical," Raf said with a faint smile.

"So what class do you have next Kara?" Miko asked, hoping to have another class with the girl.

"History if I remember correctly," she said, grinning slightly.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Jack asked warily.

"I always liked to learn about history, it fascinates me," she explained to Jack.

"Just don't give another lecture on Kryptonian history if you're asked," Jack moaned slamming his head on the table with a thud.

Everyone laughed at Jacks reaction and the boy let out another groan. He just hoped that Arcee was having a better day then he was…

_Autobot HQ…_

"Missing!? What do you mean 'missing', Ratchet?" Arcee demanded. There was no way her entire T-Cog could be gone, who would even try to do that?

"Exactly what it sounds like I mean Arcee, your T-Cog is not where it is supposed to be," The medic replied, "That's why your weapons failed to activated yesterday," he explained.

Arcee narrowed her optics "That doesn't make any sense, why would anyone steal my T-Cog?" she asked worried now.

"What do you mean someone stole your T-Cog?" Bulkhead asked as he and Bee walked into the room. Arcee inwardly groaned, this was not something the others needed to know about at the time.

"I think so, maybe… I'm not sure," she replied defensively.

"It makes sense, T-Cogs don't just jump out of femmes at will," Ratchet said still looking at the data.

At this time there was a deep rumbling through the base as Optimus Prime drove into base. Arcee inwardly cringed, the only person who wasn't here that she wished was, was Jack… at least to an extent. Knowing her boyfriend, he'd likely go on a rampage trying to steal it back from whoever had taken it in the first place.

Optimus transformed and walked forward looking at the assembled group of bots "What happened?" he asked, obviously aware all was not well.

"Someone stole Arcee's T-Cog when I sent her out on an Energon scouting mission," Ratchet explained to the Prime.

Optimus narrowed his optics at this news before turning to Arcee "Do you remember any details that could explain how such an ordeal occurred?" he asked.

Arcee thought for a minute, racking her processor for answers to who could have done this to her "I… I can't remember much. I found the Energon signature, examined it and then…" he optics widened as she remember the figures approaching her.

"MECH," she hissed before looking at Optimus "They're the ones who did this to me," she explained.

"You are certain of this?" he asked.

Arcee nodded, "Positive, it was MECH alright, no one else has weaponry to knock one of us out and the cons wouldn't have a need for a T-Cog," she stated.

Optimus frowned "But until we have found your T-Cog or a replacement for one you will have to remain here until further notice," he said.

Arcee looked up at Optimus "Optimus I know I can't go on missions without my weapons, but do I have to be confined to base if we don't need to stay hidden?" she asked.

**"Gee, wonder what's going through her processor?"** Bee joked, nudging Bulkhead. Both mech's laughed until Arcee shot them a glare that would freeze Megatron in his tracks.

"I suppose that you are allowed to leave base Arcee, so long as you have an escort of sorts," Optimus said "Should the Decepticons ever find you, you will need protection," he finished.

"Optimus I am more than capable of handling a few cons by myself," she protested. One look from the Prime caused any further protests to die in her throat.

"But I suppose it wouldn't hurt," she muttered, ignoring the laughs from Bee and Bulkhead.

Optimus nodded, satisfied with her answer. He turned to the two other bots "I believe it is time for you to pick up the children," he stated and they nodded transforming and driving out.

Arcee stood up to follow before quickly remembering that she couldn't. The femme scowled and sat back on the berth cross-legged. She never realized that she'd be missing her T-Cog so badly so soon. But when she got her servos on MECH, she was going to make them pay for every hour she couldn't transform…

_Jasper High…_

Jack and his friends waited on the front steps of the school for their guardians to arrive and take them to base. Technically he and Kara could fly there, but Jack wanted to see Arcee again and ride with her. The rides were the highlights of the day for him, and he looked forward to them all day.

History had been… interesting with Kara to say the least. Unlike her other classes, she behaved for the most part throughout it. But she had rapt attention on the lesson, eagerly scribbling down all the information she could. The girl wasn't lying when she said she loved history.

Still he was glad the day was over, and he was eagerly looking forward to tomorrow. It was to be his and Arcee's first real date, and maybe the two would get _some _privacy for once. Unlikely given their history, but a guy could hope.

He looked up as Bee and Bulk drove into the parking lot, but raised his eyebrow in question. Arcee wasn't there, where was she? She'd promised that she would be here, had something happened to her?

Jack stood up and made his way to the two "Bulkhead, where's Arcee? She promised she'd be here," the confusion was obvious in his voice.

"There was a little… incident with Arcee," Bulkhead said and that was all Jack heard. Sure Bulkhead was saying something else, but to Jack they were just words. Something had happened to Arcee, his Arcee, and he wasn't going to stand here. He needed to see her, see that she was okay.

Kara noticed the tenseness in her brothers posture and approached him, "Jack-" she started but before she could say another word, the boy shot into the sky, curving towards the Autobot base.

"Oh boy," Bulkhead said and activated his comm. "Ugh just a heads up guys, Jacks on his way, he'll be there soon," he warned.

Kara looked after her brother and sighed. She felt pity for Arcee, she was about to get quiet the visit from her boyfriend…

_Autobot HQ…_

Arcee sat on the berth while Ratchet continued to scan her for any other possible problems. It had been a few minutes since the others had left to go get the kids and she felt bad she couldn't be with them.

She was also worried about how exactly Jack would take the news. Her boyfriend was a smart and caring kid, but sometimes she felt he was too overprotective. But then, he'd spent his whole life being invulnerable, so perhaps it was warranted to an extent.

A beep from the terminal caught their attention and Bulkhead's voice echoed from it "_Ugh just a heads up guys, Jacks on his way, he'll be there soon," _he warned and cut out.

"How soon do you thi-" at that moment a low rumbling could be heard from the roof of the silo.

"I think he's here Ratchet," Arcee deadpanned and the medic grumbled at her.

Arcee yelped as the medic shocked her "What was that for?" she demanded.

"Sarcasm is not appreciated femme," he replied casually… right as the door for the stairs almost flew off its hinges.

Jack rushed in stopping at the railing if only just, eliciting a small groan from the metal "Arcee, what happened are you okay, who hurt you?" he demanded quickly.

Arcee stood from her berth and looked at the teen with a faint smile "I'm fine Jack it's just…" she wasn't exactly sure how to explain her condition.

"MECH stole Arcee's T-Cog," Ratchet said casually from his terminal.

"THEY DID WHAT!?" Jack demanded, and the railing visibly twisted and tore under his grip.

"Thanks a lot Hatchet," Arcee growled.

The medic waved a dismissive hand at the femme "Anytime," he said casually, not detecting or not caring for her sarcasm.

Arcee looked back to her boyfriend, who appeared to be strangling the railing "Jack, calm down, I know your angry at what they did, but getting angry won't help the situation," she warned.

Jack calmed down slightly, but the red glint was still in his eye, "Jack. Calm. Down," she ordered, and reluctantly he did.

He let out a shaky sigh, "Sorry, lost my cool there for a moment," he said, smiling at Arcee "So you are fine besides that?" he asked.

Arcee nodded, "I'm fine Jack, I just can't fight or transform right now,"

"You can't transform?" he asked, realizing he didn't even know what a T-Cog was.

Arcee laughed lightly realizing this as well "A T-Cog is what allows us to transform, it's like an organ in the human body, we all have one," she explained.

Jack cursed "There goes our date," he growled. MECH was now number one on his list of organizations to wipe out.

Arcee scowled as she realized this too. If she couldn't transform, then she couldn't go to the drive in for the movie. So now not only had MECH prevented her from doing her job, but they were messing with her social life as well. Silas was going to be in for a world of hurt when she got her servos on him.

The sound of two engines roared through the halls as Bee and Bulk drove on in. Once they expelled their passengers and the two transformed back to robot mode. The others looked to Arcee and Jack, and Miko made the mistake of speaking.

"So now Arcee can't transform? Welp, no more riding for Jack," she quipped laughing at her own humor. The result though was a smack upside the head from Kara.

"Ow!" she yelled rubbing her head, "What was that for?" she demanded looking at Kara.

"Behave, now is not time for jokes. How would you feel if someone stole something vital to you?" Kara asked, scolding Miko.

Miko grumbled to herself and walked off, heading up to the platform, Raf in tow. Once up top they noticed the condition the railing was in and looked to Jack with curiosity.

"Jeez Jack, what did the railing do to deserve _that_?" Miko asked.

Jack rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment "I may have let my temper get a _little_ out of hand," he said nervously.

The girl laughed before she and Raf commenced watching TV as usual, Kara standing behind them. Jack was spending more time looking at Arcee with concern on his face.

The femme noticed this and sighed "Jack, I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine," she said.

"Losing your T-Cog is not fine," he countered.

Arcee looked up at him, "No its not, but there isn't anything you can do about it, not right now at least," she said a sad look on her faceplate.

Jack frowned "A shame we don't have the mass-shifter," he said quietly, "we could still go out if you had that," he said wishfully, not noticing the small smile on Arcee's faceplate.

There was a beep on Ratchets terminal and he examined the data "Optimus, I have detected a Decepticon dig site with high levels of Energon," Ratchet reported.

"Then you know the action we must take," the Prime responded and looked at the assembled bots.

"This is the first true sign of Decepticon activity in over two weeks. I want you all to be on your guard," he ordered and looked to Arcee "You shall have bridge duty," he said.

Arcee nodded knowing there was no point in protesting with her current condition. She would more than likely get in the way if she did. She walked over to the terminal and activated the bridge while the others walked through the bridge. Once through she deactivated it and waited.

_Energon Mine…_

The Autobots emerged from the bridge, Optimus taking point as he always did. He scanned their immediate area to see that they were in a desert area with tall cliff faces and mesas surrounding the. The sound of digging could be heard off in the distance as the cons were busy at work collecting Energon.

"Autobots, move out," the Prime ordered and they split up.

Optimus and Bulkhead going off alone to surround the dig site while Ratchet and Bee stuck together. The scout lacked any melee weapons while the medic lacked any ranged weapons. Together they could compensate for their respective weaknesses.

Optimus managed to move silently despite his rather massive size until he stood at the top of a large wall overlooking the bowel shaped mine. Bulkhead was directly across from him on the other side while Bee and Ratchet were both to his right.

He saw a large contingent of roughly 20 guards and about half as many miners operating the mining equipment. The rest were carrying the Energon to a large pile that was about as tall as Bumblebee.

Optimus felt his tanks rumble slightly at the site of all that Energon. Their supply of the vital fuel had slowly begun to drain, and currently they were left with about a month's worth of the stuff _if_ no one got hurt and they rationed it. In their line of work it was almost guaranteed that wouldn't be the case.

Optimus activated his weapons, both blasters online and leapt from his position towards a con on the ground. There was a loud boom and a sound of metal screeching on metal as he crushed the con under foot. The two that were with him turned to fire at the Prime, only for them to receive a blast to their heads for their trouble.

Optimus ran to a large boulder and took cover as the sounds of combat erupted from two more directions. Bulkhead took out two perimeter guards and began laying suppressive fire on the drones. Bee unloaded several blasts into a cons chest, melting its midsection while Ratchet dismembered another.

The two took cover as the remaining thirteen Vehicon guards took cover behind various equipment and scattered boulders. Optimus fired blindly from his position and smiled under his battle mask as he heard a con fall from the blast.

He peaked out from behind his cover and saw that the cons were especially focused on Ratchet, who'd managed to get separated from Bee. The Prime scowled and twisted out of cover, firing at the Vehicons rapid fire. One, two, three fell dead and sparking as he unleashed his barrage.

Shifting to his blades, Optimus let out a roar cry as he and Bulkhead charged the remaining Vehicons. He leapt into the fray, crashing through one con and burying his blade into another. He twisted and sliced one's helm off while he saw two others go flying back from Bulkheads mace.

The two turned their attention to the remaining four Vehicons, aiming to finish this. A large explosion sent them flying back before they could act. Bulkhead flipped end over end while Optimus skid back on his pedes. He looked back up to see the duo Breakdown and Knockout standing on another outcropping over a now disabled drill.

"I'll take the Prime, you handle Bulkhead and the others," Knockout ordered his larger compatriot.

Breakdown slammed his servos together "With pleasure," he growled and leapt off the outcropping towards Bulkhead. He shifted his servo to his large sledge hammer and slammed it down on Bulkheads mace. A loud clang echoed from the blow before the wrecker slammed a fist into the cons midsection.

Breakdown buckled over before Bulkhead grabbed him by the helm and twisted. Spinning he flung the con towards Bee and Ratchet. He bounced across the ground once before flipping over and skidding to a stop. The three engaged him while Optimus handled Knockout.

The red con circled the Prime, his electric staff sparking dangerously. He twirled the staff effortlessly before sprinting around Optimus, aiming to distract him. He spun the staff while he ran, creating arch's of electricity while he ran.

Optimus shifted to his blasters and began strafing him, opening fire as he did. His blasters shots chipped away at the stone and ground but Knockout dodged and weaved the blows, occasionally using the staff to deflect a blast. Optimus fired ahead of the con, causing him to stumble back long enough for Optimus to close the distance.

He switched to his blades and stabbed at Knockout, who deflected the blow with his staff. The con slid behind the Prime and stabbed him where his shoulder blades would be with his staff. Optimus let out a cry of pain as the energy sparked through his metal frame, causing his spark to fluctuate.

He fell forward on his servos as Knockout leapt on his back, raising his staff to finish the Prime off. Optimus twisted his torso, knocking the con off before sweeping his legs out from under him. Optimus quickly stood only to shield his faceplate as the remaining Vehicons opened fire on him.

He sprinted to cover and dove behind it. He could hear his troops battling Breakdown and inwardly cursed. They were close, so close to resupplying, but they had to retreat, or risk injury and further depletion to his stocks.

"Arcee, open a bridge, we have been compromised," he ordered over the comm.

_"Roger that Optimus," _she replied and the comm. went silent.

Optimus ran out from cover, heading towards his troops as he heard the crash of metal against the floor. He looked to see Bumblebee get tossed back from some sort of blow, his chest bearing a hammer shaped dent. Ratchet joined him shortly landing with a painful thud.

Optimus looked to see that Bulkhead and Breakdown had engaged each other in a grapple contest, safe from Decepticon fire as they risked hitting Breakdown. Optimus bent down and helped both Bee and Ratchet to their pedes right as Knockout stopped in front of them.

"Going somewhere?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, they're coming home with us," a voice answered.

Knockout turned around in time to receive a blow to the faceplate. He flew back, skidding across the ground as he did. He felt his faceplate and felt the large dent where his nose would be. He got up angrily to attack his assailant, only to freeze in place.

Jack and Kara were both floating in their Kryptonian suits, arms crossed. Jack turned to Kara "Handle the Vehicons, I'll handle Knockout," he ordered.

Kara nodded and shot towards one of the Vehicons, tackling it into the ground while Jack looked at Optimus and the others "Get to base, we'll buy you time," he stated.

Optimus didn't argue, he simply nodded and went through the portal. Once they were through, Jack turned to Knockout, who had an expression stuck somewhere between rage and fear. Jack smiled innocently at the doctor.

"It sure has been a while hasn't it?" he asked cracking his neck casually.

Knockout glared at him while circling him "I never got to repay you for ripping off my door," he snarled, whirling his staff as he did.

Jack smiled, "Bring it Knock-bot, I've been in need of a new punching bag, Starscream has gotten too soft," he said casually.

Knockout charged at the Kryptonian, swinging his staff in smooth elegant arches at him. Jack dodged each swing weaving back and forth as he did. He fell to the ground before leaping over Knockout, grabbing the tip of the staff as he did. He fell on the other side pulling Knockout down with him.

The con still held the staff and twisted to glare at Jack "Let's see how you handle this!" he yelled and upped the voltage on his staff.

Electricity sparked across Jacks body for several seconds before he let off. Jack rolled his head from side to side, unaffected by the millions of volts that just flowed through him.

"That tingled," he said, gripping the staff harder "how about you have a try?" he asked, and ripped the staff from his servos. He swung it like a bat, and slammed the electrified end into Knockout's neck. The medic screamed in pain as his own weapon was used on him before stumbling back.

There was a loud boom as Bulkhead crashed through a boulder and Breakdown turned to look at his partner "I could use some help here!" Knockout screamed as Jack wacked him over the helm with his own staff. There was a loud crack as the item shattered in his grasp, destroying the cons drill.

Breakdown left Bulkhead where he lay and charged at Jack, aiming to crush him with his hammer. Jack dodged the hammer as it slammed into the ground, leaving a small crater as it did. Breakdown stepped forward and swiped at him with a servo, only for Jack to catch his servo.

Jack grunted as he fought back Breakdowns admittedly strong strength. Not as strong as Draconus, but strong enough to match his own briefly. Breakdown raised his hammer to try and smash the teen, only for Jack to look up at him and fire a burst of heat vision across his chest.

Breakdown grunted and stepped back grasping at the burn mark on his large blue chest plate. Jack flew towards him and punched him in the faceplate with a loud boom. The large con stepped back as Jack repeatedly pounded his red faceplate. He left dents all over the faceplate as he did.

Jack was going to punch him again when Something punched him from the side. He crashed into the ground, landing with a thud. He looked up to see the two cons looking down at him. Knockout had to large buzz saws out and Breakdown had his shoulder mounted rocket launcher aimed at him.

Jack scrambled to his feet as the con fired it, and grasped the missile, his feet sliding against the ground. He grit his teeth and gripped the rocket harder, slowly stopping it. He slowly slid to a stop, as the engine of the rocket pushed against him. There was a stuttering sound as the rocket ran out of fuel and died.

Jack felt its weight settle and grinned. He flew into the air, holding the rocket as he did and twisted flinging it back at the two cons. They dove out of the way as it detonated against the ground in a cloud of fire.

Knockout skid across the ground slowly got up only to see Kara floating in front of him "Great, now there's two of you," he growled and swung a buzz saw at her, the saw running full speed.

Kara gripped the saw grunting as she did, holding it in place. Slowly but surely, she pushed back against the cons arm, a creaking coming from it. Knockout growled at her and raised his other arm to strike her, only for a hot burning sensation to cut through his wrist.

"GAGH!" he shrieked and heard a clanging noise, right as Kara tore his buzz saw off. Knockout stumbled back and landed flat on his aft. He looked at both his servos and his jaw dropped in shock.

Both servos were gone, one torn off the other melted off. He turned around to see that Jack was floating there, his eyes a bright red. He scrambled away, his weaponless arms shifting back to his servos.

"You brat! Do you have any idea how long it'll take to repair those!?" he demanded.

Jack said nothing, only shot forward and grabbed him by the servo. Knockout let out a surprised yelp before Jack twisted in midair, flinging the con into the recovering Breakdown, who was covered in dents courtesy of Jack.

The two tumbled back and slowly got up looking at each other, "Should we call for a bridge?" Breakdown asked.

"What do you think you idiot!" he shrieked, and the two ran through their own ground bridge moments later.

Jack let out a breath of relief as the cons escaped, sitting down once they were gone "That was more challenging than I thought it'd be," he said with a laugh.

He looked to Kara "You did good out there today Kara," he complimented "We make a good team,"

Kara smiled and sat next to her brother "What can I say, I had a good teacher," she replied.

Jack raised a brow "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?" he demanded laughing.

Kara shoved her brother "Shut up and call base with the good news. I'm sure that Arcee is worried sick," she teased.

Jack rolled his eyes and activated the comm. "Arcee, we've cleared the area, send the others back," he looked to the pile of Energon cubes "There's a whole lot of Energon waiting for the taking,"

_Later…_

The base was in what could consider a miniature celebration. After the cons had been fought off they'd brought in all the Energon the con's had been nice enough to package for them. According to Ratchet, if they were careful they'd have enough to last a full year.

So the base was in a very light hearted mood, every bot had a small cube of Energon in their servos. The kids were talking excitedly with their guardians, minus Kara who simply watched from a far.

She still felt like an outsider here since everyone had a guardian but her. She wasn't going to ask though, since it didn't particularly bother her _that _much, but seeing the others so happy…

She shook herself, she was friends with everyone, that would have to be enough for now. Regardless, it did make her happy to see Jack and Arcee finally having a moment together. the two were standing/ sitting next to each other, content.

Jack sat on several stacked crates that made him about eye level with the femme and they whispered to each other, one or the other occasionally smiling or even laughing. It seemed that as long as the two had each other they could at least temporarily overlook there problems…

_Darby Residence…_

The ground bridge opened, letting Jack and Arcee walk into the garage. It was around 10:00 and Kara was at base having to chosen to stay there and learn more from Ratchet. Another difference between the two, Kara loved to learn while Jack just got headaches from complicated material.

Jack turned to Arcee once the bridge closed "Look Arcee, I'm sorry about what happened today," he said, still feeling bad for what happened.

"It wasn't your fault Jack, there really wasn't anything you could have done, I was careless and paid the price for it," she responded placing a servo over the area where her T-Cog was.

Jack bowed his head "I know, but I feel bad I couldn't do anything and we lost out on our date because of it," he said.

Arcee smiled lightly "We'll figure something out," she said lifting his head back up. She leaned forward and kissed him the two locked together for several seconds before Arcee broke away.

From the look on Jacks face, he was disappointed "You should get to bed, you still have school tomorrow," she ordered.

A sly grin appeared on his face "Don't suppose I could sleep out here tonight?" he asked.

The femme smirked "Nice try Superboy, but I don't think your mom would ever forgive me if I let you sleep in the garage," she stated.

Jack frowned and walked to the door "Fine, guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he said as he stopped by the door.

Arcee smiled "Probably," was her reply "Not exactly a lot of places I can go Jack," she finished.

Jack rubbed his head nervously and Arcee laughed "Get to bed Jack," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," he said reluctantly and stalked off. Arcee waited for the sound of the water to run through the pipes, signs that a shower was running, before reaching into her subspace and pulling out an odd object.

It was flat on one side, and a spherical shape on the other. Several levers and dials covered its curved silver surface, and it was half her size in vehicle mode. It was the mass shifter, a device they'd found in the alternate universe. They had no use for it, so Arcee had…borrowed it before they left, waiting for the right time to use it.

Now seemed like the perfect time to use it, and she set it down next to the work table. She readjusted the height parameters from its last use in shrinking Commander Magnus to a pint sized Autobot. She activated the device and a low flash emanated from it.

Arcee closed her optics as the flash passed, and when she opened them the garage seemed a lot smaller. She stood up, no longer needing to kneel, and smiled looking down at herself. She was now roughly 6 and a half feet tall, taller than Jack by a few inches. She turned to the door and for the first time, walked into his house.

She had heard the shower end and knew that Jack was likely finished. She stopped in the kitchen leaning against the wall. She didn't need to walk in on him while he was changing, the boy was awkward enough as it was without adding embarrassment to his list.

She heard his door open and smiled as the boy walked out of his room dressed in his pajamas. It was a grey t-shirt and blue pajama bottoms. He ran a hand through his hair before looking to the kitchen and freezing in place at the sight of Arcee standing there.

He did a double take, and the femme waved innocently at the boy "Arcee? where did you… how did you?" Arcee laughed at his confusion.

"I may have… borrowed the mass shifter from Autobot base beta," she explained "I was just waiting for a good time to use it,"

Jack blinked a few times in shock, his brain in overdrive "E-exactly what did you have in mind?" he asked.

Arcee rolled her optics "Jack I still remember the little 'talk' June gave us, get your mind out of the gutter," she ordered.

The boy shook himself trying to calm his hormones "Sorry, just… shocked," he said.

"Besides, you do need to go to school tomorrow, but I figured after you and I could… what is that place that humans go to socialize?" she asked.

"The mall?" he answered.

Arcee nodded "There, we can go there catch a movie, you know make up for our ruined date," she said with a smile.

Jack blinked a few more times before nodding "That sounds good… what about now?" he asked.

Arcee chuckled "You're still going to bed smooth operator, but you'll get some company," she answered.

Jack worked his jaw a few times trying to figure out exactly was happening. He'd shared a room at base with Arcee before, even slept with her on several occasions. But something about that was different, here it was in _his_ house, not base. But he didn't have anything to worry about did he?

His mom had been fine with the two sleeping together as long as it stayed that way. So why not?

Jack just nodded finally "Than come on in," he said ushering her into his room. One advantage to his moms rules was that his room wasn't something to be ashamed to show a girl. Clean and organized his bed lying in the center of it all.

The two crawled into his bed and Arcee embraced her boyfriend, placing her head on his chest. Quickly and peacefully the two fell into a silent sleep…

**A/N: Not quiet a cliffhanger there, but I figured this was a good place to stop. So what did you guys think? First real action scene of the book, but don't worry, we'll be getting into more as it progresses. Anyway, review and let me know if the chapter was any good, I CRAVE your opinions, they keep me going! Also if you have **_**any **_**suggestions, any at all, PM me and I'll consider it. I'll also answer any questions that come to mind, otherwise I'll see you guys tomorrow! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: First Date

_Darby Residence…_

Jack woke with a yawn and felt a familiar weight on his chest. He looked around his room confused for a moment before looking at said weight. He blinked in surprise to see a recharging Arcee lying with him before remembering the events of last night.

He knew he should probably be angry that Arcee stole the mass-shifter, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why he wasn't. He looked back down at the sleeping femme before he slowly disentangled himself from her grasp. He tossed off the covers as he stood up and looked back down at her.

She was so peaceful when she was asleep, her faceplate showing no sign on the hardship she had felt. The femme slowly curled up now that Jack was gone, trying to grasp at his missing form. Jack smiled, he wasn't going to wake her this time, he'd learned it was best to let the females in his life sleep or else he risked their wrath.

After showering and getting dressed he emerged from his room, making his way to the kitchen. He let out a small yawn as he entered and saw both Kara and June in the kitchen. Kara was snacking on some toast and June had a cup of coffee in her hands. The fact that she was here didn't surprise him anymore,

"Morning," Jack greeted as he walked in. He heard a light giggle from Kara as he made his breakfast but ignored it.

Once done he turned around to see the two grinning at him "Sleep well?" Kara asked.

"Fine," he said warily. He knew that they were up to something.

He sat down at the table and began to eat. Right when he was taking a drink of water, June decided to drop a little bombshell on him "So I assume you and Arcee put my safety talk to good use last night?"

Jack sprayed water everywhere before he began hacking trying to clear his lungs "M-mom!" he screamed indignantly once he'd cleared them.

"What? No one sleeps that comfortably unless they-"

"Please just stop, not another word!" he demanded, plugging his ears.

Both women laughed at the boys discomfort before he finally unplugged his ears "I'm just saying you two looked pretty satisfied last night when I came home," June teased.

"Mom! I already told you that wasn't going to happen anytime soon!" he responded, his cheeks turning bright red.

"So I guess we have to cancel the congratulations party?" Kara asked innocently.

"I can't believe I'm even having this conversation with you two!" he exclaimed throwing his hands in the air.

"What conversation?" Arcee asked walking into the kitchen. Her pedes clanked lightly against the tiling on the floor.

Jack was about to answer her when June interrupted him. This would not end well.

"Just having another safety talk with Jack," June said "Do we need to have another one as well Arcee?"

Arcee's optics widened in horror and she waved her servos in defense "That won't be necessary June," she replied stepping back.

June smiled and Kara giggled "Who knew _this _was the easiest way to embarrass you two?" she asked teasingly.

Jack sighed and stood out of his chair "As fun as this conversation is, I've got school to go to," he said and turned to walk out of the house.

Arcee put a servo on his shoulder as he walked by, turning the boy around to face her. She wrapped her arms around his neck looking at him with a faint smile. She leaned forward and kissed him for several seconds before pulling away.

"See you after school," she said with a coy smile.

Jack blinked a few times before his thoughts returned "Ugh… Right, see you then," he said.

"You two ever going to do that when I'm _not _around?" June asked the couple causing the two to blush slightly.

Kara got off her chair and walked by Jack, grabbing him by the back of his shirt "Come on lover boy, we have a school to get to and a dodge-ball game to finish," she stated dragging him away from the femme.

The door slammed behind the two, leaving Arcee alone with June. The latter of the two coughed to get the femmes attention. Arcee turned to June to see she had a more serious look on her face than before.

"I kid with Jack a lot Arcee, but I'm serious, I want you two to be very safe in your relationship. And I don't just mean in the bed," she stated plainly.

Arcee ignored the end comment "What do you mean then?" she asked.

June sighed "I know Jack told you about the loss of his father two years ago," she said and Arcee nodded to confirm her theory.

"But even before then, Jack has not lived a very happy life Arcee. Since he met you I've seen him happier now than in the years even before Robert passed away," she said and a few tears started to form in the woman's eyes.

She looked directly into Arcee's optics "Arcee I want you to promise me that if you will not hurt my son," she ordered.

Arcee was confused by Junes attitude and opened her mouth to voice her confusion "June I-"

June raised a hand to stop her "Just… promise me Arcee. I can't bear to see him upset like that again," June said, this time a few tears dropping from her face.

Arcee's confusion faded as she realized what June was asking her. She wanted her to make sure not to make their relationship any more difficult than it would be given their natural differences. She was afraid that if it went wrong, Jack could fall into a hole no one could follow after.

Arcee clenched her servos and nodded "I promise June I won't hurt Jack. He means as much to me as I do to him," she said.

To the femmes surprise, June embraced her "Thank you Arcee, thank you so much," she said.

The femme smiled "Anytime June,"

_Autobot HQ…_

The loud steps of Optimus Prime echoed through base as he walked into the main hall. Overall today had started slow, though he had noticed a certain member of the team was missing from base. Arcee had never reported back in last night, but despite Ratchets insistence that they try to contact the femme, Optimus had told the medic to let it be.

He had a feeling he knew what the femme was up to. Odds were she'd stayed at Jack's house and was staying there for now. She couldn't be of much use at base without her T-Cog at the moment, so it made sense to an extent to let her go.

Optimus emptied his processor of Arcee and directed his optics towards Ratchet "Any progress in locating MECH's location?" he asked.

Ratchet sighed "I have not despite my best efforts," Ratchet looked to Optimus "Optimus, without her T-Cog Arcee will be unable to provide combat support, "

Sadness flickered over Primes faceplates "I know Ratchet, but only another T-Cog could make her combat ready," he reminded the medic.

Ratchet turned back to the terminal "If we cannot find it, I would likely to donate mine for the caused," there was no hesitation in his words.

"Are you certain of this old friend?" Optimus asked. He knew the medic would do whatever it took to keep Team Prime in fighting shape. Regardless, Optimus wanted to make sure Ratchet wasn't simply doing this out of guilt.

"I will not allow another Autobot to be crippled by our forces Optimus," Ratchet declared "Besides, I have little use for it, I am more of a liability on the field than a helping hand" his tone of voice suggested that he had accepted this many years ago.

Optimus simply nodded "If that is your choice old friend,"

_Darby Residence, several hours later…_

Arcee was sitting in the Darby residence in wait for Jack to get out of school. After her talk with June the woman had said that she could stay in their house whenever she wanted given her current condition. Arcee had gratefully accepted and was sitting in what the humans had termed the living room.

She wasn't watching the television, she'd tried to watch it at base with the kids but never saw the appeal. Currently she was polishing her armor, something she hadn't done in a long time. True she'd washed the armor, but polishing it was something that was a bit of a luxury.

Arcee wondered how Jack would react to finding out that her armor was in fact removable an laughed to herself. If his past reactions were anything to go on, she'd probably be dragging him home. The femme laughed at the many memories of him passing out from shock before returning to her work.

She'd finished most of her armor, all that was left was her gauntlets and helm. She looked at pressed a small switch whose location only she new, and there was a small hiss as a hidden seal opened along her arm. Using her other arm, she eased the blue and pink gauntlet off exposing her protoform to the cool air of the house.

Her exposed arm and servo bore similarities to her gauntlet except for two key features. One, her protoform was a clean reflective silver, unlike the blue of her armor. The second, was that it lacked any wrist guard like her gauntlet and looked very much like a human arm except along her elbow and wrist area were the internal joint was slightly exposed to the elements.

Ignoring those though, her arm looked surprisingly human. Like a human arm it was sensitive to touch and feel the femme shivering at the cool air she now felt. She repeated the process with the other gauntlet and placed both on the table.

She reached into her subspace and removed some of the cleaning supplies she kept for rare occasions. A small, at least now it was small, container of polish and a rag to use it. After dipping the rag in the polish, she cleaned the gauntlets thoroughly removing any grime or specs of dirt she'd missed.

She only stopped once the armor was smooth and clean as glass. So clean was it that she could make out all the features of her faceplate on it. Satisfied, she reattached the gauntlets and moved onto the last piece of her armor, and the one she'd been most reluctant to remove: her helm.

Moving her servos to the switches that held her helm in place, there was a low hiss as the seals came undone. She lifted the blue and pink helmet off her head, revealing her full head. She ran a servo over her now bare head.

Very rarely had she ever taken her helm off when she wasn't washing her protoform, and even then that was a rarity. And despite what many humans, her boyfriend included, believed Cybertronians did in fact, have hair. Or at least something resembling it.

Unlike a human though, hair for Cybertronians varied at creation, and stayed the same length through their lives. For mech's it tended to be very short or nearly nonexistent, prompting them to always wear their helms. With femmes it varied. It could be short cropped, or long and flowing, nearly touching the floor.

Solus Prime was an example of this, as all depictions of her showed her with long flowing hair tied into a braid. In Arcee's case though, she fell into the short cropped hair category. Small thin steel chords sprouted from her scalp, falling evenly along the rest of her head. It bore a very similar resemblance to her helms design minus the pink spikes and silvery white instead of blue.

Once Arcee finished polishing her helm until it shone though, she placed the item back on her helm, sealing it into place. She let out a grateful sigh once it was sealed into place, she didn't like the feeling of air on her hair, it was odd.

She replaced the polishing items back into her subspace and stood, rechecking all the seals and clamps on her armor. She doubted there would be any problems, but the last thing she wanted was for a piece of her armor to fall off in public. Jack would never let her live that down.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Arcee checked her internal clock. 2:50, just enough time to sneak to Jacks school and meet up with him. The femme made her way to the front door of the house, looking for any sign of humans looking where they shouldn't.

She knew that it was no big deal for her to be in public anymore, but she didn't want to get any stares. Humans could be irritatingly judgmental beings, and Arcee didn't need to be stared at while she made her way to Jack's school.

Satisfied that she was relatively clear, Arcee walked out of the house and made her way to Jacks school…

_Jasper High…_

Jack let out a content sigh as he and his friends exited the school. Compared to yesterday, today went by without a hitch. Gym had been simple weight lifting, something he and Kara had no problem with, and the rest of the classes had been fairly dull. Kara had behaved herself, and the teachers gave her plenty of time to adjust so there was little conflict.

Now though, Jack wasn't thinking about school, he was thinking about what he and Arcee were going to do. The whole day he'd been thinking about that, to the point that at some points he was actually trembling in excitement.

Miko finally decided to comment on Jacks behavior through the day "Okay, I have to know, what's got you so hyped today Jack?"

Jack shrugged "Not anything that concerns you Miko," he replied.

Kara giggled at her brothers response, causing him to turn to her "Got something to say Kara?" he demanded.

The girl chuckled "Oh nothing, just imagining how your first date with Arcee is going to go," she said with a smile.

"Kara!" Jack exclaimed, his face turning slightly red.

Miko and Kara laughed at his embarrassment "I thought you and Arcee had to cancel because her T-Cog was stolen?" Raf asked, unaware of why the girls were laughing at Jack or why he was embarrassed in the first place.

"There are other ways for Jack and I to be together Raf," Arcee answered walking up to the two.

The femme stopped in front of Jack and placed a servo on her hip, her armor gleaming under the sun. Miko and Raf gaped at the shrunken femme, neither Jack nor Kara had mentioned the mass-shifter to either of the children. Needless to say, Jack was laughing at their reactions pretty hard. Inwardly at least.

"How did Arcee get so small!?" Miko demanded.

The femme smirked "That's for me to know, and you to never find out Miko," she replied before fully addressing her boyfriend.

"Ready to head out Jack?" she asked.

He nodded "Then lead the way," she said and the two walked off leaving the others to wait for their respective guardians…

_Jasper…_

Jack and Arcee walked side by side, making their way to the mall. Jack knew the way even if his time spent their was minimal at best. But despite this it was a long walk and Jack wasn't going to fly them there. It would attract even more attention than the two were getting.

Occasionally a person or two would pass by the couple and do a double take. Even though the Cybertronians were public knowledge, few people had seen them. Jack had a feeling that seeing a teen walking with a femme was not something they expected. Then again, he wasn't human so they had no right to judge him or her.

Jack looked to Arcee as they walked, noticing that her armor seemed… shinier, than usual. The femme took notice of his look and turned to him as they walked.

"Something the matter?" she asked, keeping her knowing tone hidden.

"Your armor it seems… shinier," he said "did you do anything to it?" he asked.

The femme shrugged "A little polishing back at your house while you were gone," she explained.

"It looks nice," he complimented.

Arcee smiled "Well aren't you the sweet one?" she said and gently took hold of Jacks hand.

Jack looked down at the interlocking of metal fingers and organic fingers. Truthfully he and Arcee very rarely showed public affection towards each other that was physical. The times they had otherwise was to simply tease their friends.

The two really never did anything like hold hands. But right now Jack was okay that they were, he wanted people to know he was taken that this femme was his that they were together, and that all the glares and disappointed looks wouldn't change that.

"How has Kara been at your school by the way?" Arcee asked as they walked, hands interlocked.

"She's adjusted quickly, today was less painful than yesterday so we made some progress," he told her as they came into the mall parking lot.

"She's definitely changed from the shy teenager you found frozen in a tube," the femme commented.

Jack smiled "Yeah, she has. And I couldn't be prouder of her for it," he said as the two walked into the mall. As far as malls went it was fairly small, single story with about 30 stores or so in it. The largest building was the theater, as it dominated a good quarter of it.

The floors were lined with black and white tiles that reflected those who walked across it. Soft but bright lights illuminated the area. Neon signs were placed over each store, inviting the people who bustled about the mall into their stores to purchase their variety of products.

But Jack and Arcee weren't here for that. They were just here to see a movie, that was it, no more no less.

Arcee and Jack walked across the tiling, the formers metal feet clanking lightly against the tiles. The occasional shopper would pass them the odd glance, and Jack occasionally saw a disgusted look on the faces of some adults.

Several smaller children pointed at Arcee excitedly, only for their parents to herd them away from the couple. Arcee ignored the obvious xeno-racism directed towards the two. She knew humans didn't like things that were different or new and would need time to adjust to it.

Jack on the other hand was visibly affected by the looks the two got. Sure he refused to let Arcee's servo go, but his head had begun to hang and he began to avert his eyes staying focused on the area right in front of him. Once again he was the center of attention and hated every second of it.

Arcee noticed his discomfort and nudged him. Jack looked up at her "Ignore them Jack. They don't know you or me, whatever they think of us doesn't matter. What matters is what we think of each other," she said trying to get him out of his miniature depression.

Jack smiled at her faintly "Thanks Arcee, I know it's just… Kinda hard to get used to I guess," he admitted.

Arcee untangled her servo from his hand and wrapped a loving arm around his neck, "Let them glare at us all they want Jack. It won't change a thing about how I feel for you. If they have a problem with us being together they can get over it," she declared.

Jack smiled and reluctantly untangled himself from her arm as they'd finally arrived at the theater. He looked at the movie times to see that most of the films wouldn't be starting for an hour or so. There were only two left, the action blockbuster he wanted to see out of a guilty pleasure Pacific Rim… Or that crap comedy Grown Ups 2.

Thinking purely from a logical standpoint, the first seemed like a better choice. Arcee wouldn't get the humor in a human comedy especially an Adam Sandler flick. So he made the obvious choice of buying tickets

Once he purchased them he returned to Arcee, "So what movie?" she asked curious to see what kind of film they would see. Only human films had ever been interesting to her, their television in her opinion needed work.

"An action sci-fi movie called Pacific Rim," he explained to her.

Arcee raised an optic ridge "An action sci-fi movie Jack? Really? You realize we practically are science fiction to humans right?" she demanded.

Jack shrugged "It's a guilty pleasure, just because aliens really do exist doesn't mean that sci-fi can't be fun," he said.

The femme shrugged as the two passed through the ticket collector. He gave the femme a confused look but said nothing else as the two walked into the main lobby.

The theater lobby consisted of dozens of ads for different movies including their own movie they were going to see. There was a large black granite counter ahead of them were several theater personal were working to provide various snacks and drinks to the various movie goers.

Jack turned to Arcee "How about you head into the theater while I pick up a few snacks for myself. Unless you _can _eat human food and you guys have been lying to us the whole time," he said in mock suspicion.

Arcee rolled her optics "I'll find some seats, just don't take too long," she warned and walked off to the theater there movie was in.

Jack waited in line till he eventually came to the front "One small popcorn," he said.

The cashier looked at him for a moment before his eyes widened "Aren't you that alien that had a super-powered brawl in the middle of town?" he asked.

Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously "I… guess, yeah… Why?"

"You have some nerve coming back here after what your kind did to Earth," he growled.

Jack blinked his eyes in shock, "Excuse me?" he asked shock.

"You heard me, you and that Zod fellow destroyed a good chunk of town then he goes and destroys Manhattan," he accused.

"That's not my fault, he was a power hungry maniac. He would have destroyed Earth regardless of if I was here or not," Jack said in his defense.

"Or he would have left us alone and passed right on by," he said dismissively.

Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose "Regardless what happened, happened, Zod and his followers are gone, can I just have my popcorn please? My girlfriends waiting," he stated.

"What, the other alien? The one using our planet as their battleground," he retorted angrily.

Jacks hands that were gripping the counter tightened and a low crack emanated from the table "Don't. Ever. Insult. Them," he growled, "they are the only thing standing between you humans and extinction," he said.

The man snorted "Sure, or they could just share their tech with us and let us fight off those cons ourselves," he said angrily.

Jack opened his mouth to respond when a voice interrupted him "Phil! What are you doing, quit harassing the customers!" a voice ordered and a tall skinny man with a tag that said manager walked towards him.

"I thought I told you to leave your personal opinions at home, here you serve customers regardless of race. That includes non-humans," the manager said.

"But-"

"No buts, go clean the restrooms we have enough trouble here without you bothering the customers," he said.

Phil grumbled to himself as he walked out from behind the counter, sparing a glare towards Jack. The manager sighed and turned to Jack as he walked off.

"Sorry about that, I knew Phil would be trouble when I hired him, but he convinced me that he left his roots behind him," the manager said.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked genuinely confused.

"He's a former skinhead, supposedly reformed. But every once in a while he slips back towards those roots. Guess with guys like you around he just found something new to focus on," he explained.

Jack nodded understanding the man's racism a little better now "Anyway, what was your order?" he asked.

"Oh, just a small popcorn," he said. The manager nodded and several moments later Jack was walking away with a small bag of popcorn. That little confrontation had eaten up some of his time but as long as there were no more distractions Arcee wouldn't be too worried.

"Jack!" a very familiar voice called, and the boy let out a groan. Of all the people from school to see him here, it had to be her.

He turned around with a neutral expression to see Sierra running up to him "How funny the two of us running into each other here," she said as she got closer.

"Right, funny," he muttered, "Is there something I can help you with Sierra?" he asked.

The girl perked up "I ugh… no I just saw you alone here and was wondering if you wanted to catch a movie," she said nervously.

Jack rolled his eyes, "I was already going to see Pacific Rim Sierra, and I told you I already have a girlfriend," he walked into the room where they were showing the movie.

"So was I, and I wasn't saying it was a date, just seeing a movie together, besides I don't think Arcee would fit in here," she said as Jack walked up the aisle seeing the blue and pink form of his girlfriend sitting in the middle of an aisle.

"That so Sierra?" Arcee demanded standing up and glaring at the girl.

Sierra stopped dead in her tracks stunned by the appearance of his girlfriend "B-but, how?" she asked, her jaw hanging.

"Like I would tell you," Arcee said smugly as Jack sat next to her, "Are you going to stand there gaping the whole time or find a seat?" she asked.

Sierra blinked and scowled storming off "You enjoyed that a little too much don't you think Arcee?" Jack asked. Not that he didn't appreciate Arcee's defense of him, but the femme could be ruthless at times.

Arcee wrapped her arm in his," I'm not going to let some floozy like her try and steal you away from me Jack," she declared quietly as the movie began to start up.

"You are so jealous," he quipped in a whisper. Arcee flicked the side of his head as the two settled down to watch the move together…

_Later…_

Jack and Arcee exited the theater arms wrapped around each other. As far as action movies went, that was one of the better ones Jack had ever seen. The visuals were stunning and the fights well choreographed. Overall he had a good time, but the question was did Arcee?

"So what did you think of the film?" Jack asked.

Arcee smiled "It was a good little film. Though I'm glad you never got sent to a universe like that," she said.

Jack gave her a hurt look "What you don't think I'd be able to take on a Kaiju?" he asked in mock hurt.

Arcee laughed "If there really is another universe where something like that exists, I imagine that you and I are probably partners," she said.

Jack laughed "Right, and Optimus is my dad in that universe to," he joked.

"Knowing him he'd probably never let you step foot in one of those things," Arcee said as the two walked towards the mall exit.

"So, as a first date, how was that?" Jack asked once the two exited the mall.

Arcee was silent for several seconds as they walked along the sidewalk. They passed by a small ally way where Arcee suddenly darted into the ally dragging Jack with him. The two disappeared from public as Jack let out a surprised yelp.

Once they were out of the public eye, Arcee stopped and turned to Jack, wrapping her arms around him. She leaned forward and the two engaged in a kiss away from any prying eyes, the first time the two had truly been alone for a while.

Jack wrapped his arms around her waist as they continued to kiss, their kissing growing more hungry and fierce. Jacks tongue pressed against Arcee's lips and she granted him access as the two engaged in another passionate French kiss. Jack moved his hands up her back and ran his fingers over the seams of her winglets, causing her to shudder in ecstasy.

Before anything could escalate though, the universe decided to screw with the two once more as a loud gunshot rang out. The two broke apart immediately, the mood dead. They turned towards the sound and saw a man exit a small convenient store, gun in hand as he fired back at a cashier.

Jack scowled "Wait here," he ordered Arcee, ignoring her protests.

The man with the gun saw him approaching and pointed at him "Don't come any closer, I'll shoot!" he threatened, all the while shaking slightly.

Jack continued walking forward "Go ahead," he said nonchalantly.

"I mean it, I'll do it!" he screamed.

"Then why haven't you?" Jack asked calmly, standing only a few feet away from the robber.

"Alright you asked for it!" he yelled and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the town and the bullet ricochet off of Jacks chest. The robber looked at his gun confused before firing off another two shots. Each one bounced off his chest, only leaving a few dust marks on his shirt.

"What the hell!?" he demanded looking at the pistol in his hands.

"Let me look at that for you," Jack said and ripped the gun out of his hand, ignoring the protest. He lifted it up in a single hand and crushed it like a tin can before dropping it to the ground. The robber looked at the now crushed gun with shock before looking up at Jack.

"What are you?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Jack smiled slightly, "Someone who doesn't like it when others pick on the innocent," he stated and grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. He took off into the sky disappearing for several moments. When he returned the robber was gone.

Arcee approached him "Jack, where is the robber?" she asked.

"Dropped him off at the police station, told them about what was going on," he explained before smiling "We should probably get you back home and back to normal, huh?" he asked.

Arcee looked at her servos "Good idea, much as I like the benefits of this form, I think being back to my normal size would be better," she admitted.

Jack wrapped his arm around her waist "Then hold on tight, we're heading home," he said and took off into the sky with Arcee in tow…

_Later, Autobot HQ…_

The base was relatively silent as everyone followed through with their daily routines. Miko and Raf played video games, Kara talked with Ratchet learning more about Cybertronian tech, and Jack was near Arcee who had returned to full size.

Optimus was currently working the terminal, searching for possible MECH locations and Arcee's missing T-Cog. He had had about as much luck as Ratchet so far, but he continued to persevere. Despite the medics protests, Optimus refuse to let him give up his T-Cog yet, he wanted to at least search for Arcee's original before they even considered a transplant.

At the moment though, a signal pinged on the terminal. Arcee perked up "MECH?" she asked hopefully.

Optimus quickly analyzed the data before shaking his head "Decepticons, they seem to have unearthed an Iacon relic of sorts," he stated.

"Sort of like the one we got back from the cons in the other universe," Jack said remembering the battle and his lost temper.

"Indeed Jack, and as such we cannot allow this weapon to fall into Decepticon hands," he stated before looking at Jack and Kara.

"Though I do not wish to, with Arcee currently indisposed, I must ask you two for help," he said in a somber tone.

Jack smiled "Optimus, we are more than willing to help, we know it wouldn't be good for any of us if they got hold of a relic," Jack said and looked to Kara "Right?" he asked.

She nodded "Right," she said in agreement.

Optimus smiled faintly "Your assistance is greatly appreciated Jack and Kara, I only wish I did not have to put you at risk for our war,"

"Optimus, for the last time we are more than willing to help. We'd offer to help even if you didn't ask," Kara explained.

"Very well," he said and looked to Arcee.

She raised her servos in understanding "I know, I know, bridge duty," she said and walked to the terminal. She activated the portal and both Optimus and the rest of the team drove through leaving the femme alone with Miko and Raf.

They were gone for no longer than three minutes before Fowlers face appeared on screen "PRIME!" Fowler shouted in a typical greeting.

"I've got breaking news!" Fowler snapped, "Where is…?"

"What news, Fowler?" Arcee asked.

"Huh?" Fowler asked, confused by the femme answering for once, "Where's Prime?"

"Con activity,"Arcee explained, "He and the others went out somewhere in the Himalayas to keep a relic out of their servos,"

"Look," Fowler sighed, "Let him know I just received access to satellite imagery which I believe pinpoints the center of operation of MECH," he explained.

The coordinates popped up on screen and Arcee's processor went into motion. The team couldn't be interrupted now, they could lose the relic to the cons. But, this was just a mech base, their weapons only worked if they were caught off guard. She could easily get her T-Cog back with little risk to herself.

"I'll make sure Optimus gets them Fowler," she said confidently, "Right after I check the area out myself," she whispered to herself.

The agent nodded and his face flickered off screen. Once he was gone, the femme got to work in putting the coordinates into the bridge. Miko and Raf looked to each other to concern before running to the edge of the platform.

"Arcee, what are you doing!?" Miko asked.

"Going to that base to get my T-Cog back," she answered nonchalantly.

"But Optimus said to stay in base," Raf pointed out.

Arcee sighed before looking at the two "Look, all I'm going to do is go to the base, get my T-Cog back and then come right back to base. In and out, that simple," she said.

Miko was not convinced, "Yeah, but what if MECH has a bunch of soldiers waiting for you?" she asked, "If you get hurt Jack will use us for target practice,"

Arcee rolled her optics, "Miko, I won't be hurt by human weapons. I'll be fine," she pulled the lever activating the ground bridge.

"If the others get back before me, tell them where I am. I'll take the full fault for this," she said stopping at the ground bridge portal.

"That's because it is your fault!" Miko pointed out.

Arcee tapped a servo to her chin "You have a point," she admitted, "Well, bye!" she said and ran through the bridge…

_MECH secret headquarters…_

Arcee ran out of the bridge into a forested area. It was late night here, the moon shining high above the trees casting eerie shadows against the ground. She scanned the area and settled her gaze on a large warehouse about the size of Optimus in a small clearing.

She ran forward towards it, stopping and crouching by the entrance. She inched her way forward and peaked into the slightly open doors of the warehouse. There was no sign of any human activity, just a large alcove with a shadowy figure standing in it.

Arcee stood to her pedes and walked in carefully. She made it no farther than three feet before the lights flicked on. Clapping emanated from her right and she turned to see Silas and four armed men standing on a bridge above her.

"Silas!" she hissed angrily.

"Ah, Arcee I had a feeling we'd be seeing you again," he said, "After all, a transformer is nothing if they can't transform,"

"Where's my T-Cog!?" she demanded. She wasn't in the mood for games.

He chuckled "See for yourself," he said motioning to the large alcove.

Arcee turned to it and lights illuminated it. Her optics widened in horror at the creature that stood before her. It looked like a Cybertronian if someone stripped it of its outer shell and left the inner skeleton and organs exposed.

Even its head resembled a skull, with soulless optics. It wore very minimum plating covering its chest and back. It was roughly Bumblebees size, though about as broad as a Vehicon. She could see her T-Cog in it hidden beneath the machinery and wiring.

"Introducing the first stage of Project Chimera," Silas said with a great sweeping arm, "It is the finest in human technology, and today will be its first field test," he snapped his fingers.

Blue energy flowed into the being until it emanated from its wiring and tubing. It's optics flickered to life as it slowly looked up at Arcee. Unlike a normal bots optics, there was no sign on intelligence or awareness in them. They were dead optics likely stolen from a poor con.

The restraints holding it up clicked open, and it fell onto its feet. It took a step out of the alcove and glared at Arcee, it's dead optics focused poorly on her. This… abomination, only showed one sign of any emotion. Fury.

It lifted its right arm, and its servo shifted into a red Energon blaster, clearly stolen from a Vehicon. It opened fire on her and Arcee dove to the side out of the blaster fire. There was little room to maneuver to the right or left though, so Arcee did the only thing she could.

She charged Chimera, tackling the larger thing through the relatively thin walls of the warehouse. The two rolled forward before Arcee kicked it off her towards the forest. Chimera lay unmoving on the ground for several seconds before it placed a servo on the ground and hoisted itself back up. Its movements were mechanical and jerky, but precise as well.

It stood to its full height, its head bent to the right. It slowly cracked its neck to the other side, wires and plating snapping back into place. Both arms shifted to blasters and it opened fire on Arcee. The femme ran to the side circling it, aiming to possibly cause it to topple by turning to fast.

Instead the entire upper torso rotated, still tracking the femme as it fired. She crouched behind a tree, trying to think of a way to get past its guard. A sudden branch broke from an animal of some sort, and Chimera twisted to fire at the movement. Arcee's processor sparked as a new idea occurred to her.

She picked up a large rock in her servo and hefted it. This would have to do for now. She peaked out of her cover, Chimera distracted by a different sound. She lifted the rock and flung it over hand to the abominations right. It twisted and opened fire at the rock as it landed, stomping over to the burn mark.

Arcee saw her chance and rushed forward towards it. The thing heard her and twisted its torso to fire, but was too late. Arcee leapt into the air and spun end over end. Her leg slammed into its head, knocking the thing forward towards the ground. It froze hunched over, and attempted to slowly stand straight again.

Instead Arcee roundhouse kicked it in the head before delivering a series of punches and kicks to the machine. It stumbled back sparking from the blows it received before its right arm shifted into a long sharpened blade. It swiped at the femme, but Arcee flipped back avoiding the blow.

Chimera was tougher than it looked, but it wasn't very fast or intelligent. And she could use that to her advantage. Arcee crouched slightly before leaping forwards. Chimera lifted its blade up, trying to decapitate her, but Arcee flipped over it.

She landed behind the abomination as it turned its torso to face her. She grabbed its arm before it could fully turn though, and heard its motors squeal in protest. She twisted the arm, forcing the machine to its knees.

She slammed her sharpened knee into its elbow joint and was rewarded with splintering metal. She tore the entire arm off and readjusted her arm on the bladed arm wielding it like a sword. Chimera stood to its pedes and shifted its left arm into a blade and swiped at Arcee again.

Arcee used its own former blade to parry the blow, and swept at its midsection. A thin gash appeared in its midsection and small amounts of Energon began to leak from it. Chimera ignored this damage and swept at her again, only to be met with the same result, this time receiving a stab in its knee.

Arcee backpedaled away from the machine as it struggled to stay standing with a single leg. She rushed forward and twisted under its remaining arm, stabbing its blade into its armpit. She wrenched the blade up, cutting the entire arm clean off. She twirled and with a final blow decapitated the skull faced monstrosity.

Despite this, it still stood, albeit it weakly. Arcee growled angrily and shoved her servo through the wiring and skeletal structure, and grabbed her T-Cog. With a heave she tore it free of the being, Energon leaking from the wound. She set it on the ground before picking up both bladed arms and stabbing both through its chest.

Chimera stuttered once before its legs went dead and it fell to the ground, Energon pooling around its body, "Stay dead," Arcee ordered and picked up her T-Cog, brushing the dirt off it.

She smiled at her luck that it wasn't damaged and heard a ground bridge open behind her. She turned to see the whole of Team Prime, Jack, and Kara standing in front of the bridge, weapons ready.

She waved innocently at the group "So… who wants to play doctor?"

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack paced nervously in the main hall of the base, waiting for Ratchet to finish up patching up Arcee. He would be lying if he wasn't angry with her for going after MECH by herself especially after last time. No, he wasn't angry. Absolutely livid was a closer word for how he felt. But he knew being mad at her would solve nothing, so now he and the others waited.

At that moment, two pairs of heavy footsteps echoed through base as Ratchet lead Arcee back into base. She seemed slightly unsteady, likely due to the effects of stasis, but seemed fine regardless.

Jack had to make sure "Arcee are you alright? Did it work?" he asked in worry.

Arcee looked at Jack and smiled. There was a shift of metal as the femme's body collapsed into her vehicle mode and she revved her engine… loudly. Cheers went out from everyone and Jack leapt from the platform to in front of the femme.

"So what do you say Jack, fancy a ride?" she teased.

Jack smirked, "I thought you'd never ask," he responded and he got on. With a roar, the two drove out of base into the clear night sky. They didn't have a destination, didn't know how long they'd be out. All they knew for sure was that they didn't want this night to end…

**A/N: HOLY SHIT this chapter took fragging forever. I apologize for not getting it up yesterday, I had a friend over so I had to postpone it. But tomorrow, ooh tomorrow is going to be an interesting chapter. No spoilers for those who know what's coming. Anyway, what did you guys think of the chapter? Was it a fitting end to Operation Arcee? Let me know, I NEED to know. Oh and don't forget to PM me with plot based ideas or questions, I will answer or listen to them all. Adios!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Void

_Autobot HQ…_

Over a week had passed since Arcee had stolen her T-Cog back from the abomination MECH had created. Since then the human terrorist group had simply vanished from sight, something that worried everyone at base. The fact that they were able to create what was essentially a Vehicon drone deeply worried Optimus.

So much did it worry him that patrols were now to watch human activity as well as Con activity. Fowler and his superiors had approved his action so long as they did not hack any private systems. Optimus had agreed and they were now on the watch for any sign of human forces stealing military or Cybertronian hardware.

But while MECH activity had gone down, Con activity had sky rocketed. There was an average of at least one Con sighting a day and the bots had been running rampant handling them. Even before the Zod invasion they hadn't been so common. Optimus feared the possible plans they were working on, a fear Jack understood all too well.

Regardless, that day was peaceful, little to no sign of Decepticon activity. A small Energon mining operation that Jack and Kara had quickly cleared. While Optimus was still hesitant to let the teens fight, and they weren't allowed to go on missions if June was around, they insisted on at least clearing Energon mines since they didn't use Energon in the first place.

The result of this was a double in their Energon stash, the storage room was filled higher now than it had been in years according to Ratchet. As such the bots were sometimes seen actively enjoying a cube of the blue stuff in base, a luxury they never expected to have. Put simply, Kara and Jacks contributions were much appreciated to their cause.

At the moment, the humans and their respective guardians were watching a human sci-fi movie. Ironically enough sci-fi had become the bots favorite genre of human entertainment. Today's flick was Star Wars IV an old classic in Jacks opinion. Not the case in Miko's opinion.

"Why are we watching this nerd fest!?" she complained from the couch.

"Because we like this movie Miko," Arcee said standing next to Jack human sized. Since their date she'd revealed the mass-shifter to the rest of the team. Ironically, the relic that the team had gone after the same day Arcee got her T-Cog back was in fact a mass-shifter.

Miko crossed her arms, "There are so many other movies we could be watching though!" she exclaimed as the credits rolled.

Arcee rolled her optics, "Yes, but this one is the best one," she argued back.

Miko opened her mouth to respond, "Miko let it go, you aren't going to win," Jack pointed out.

Miko sat back on the couch, "You only took her side because she's your girlfriend," she growled.

"Only half true," Jack said with a laugh wrapping an affectionate arm around the femme.

Miko let out a defeated sigh while Kara and Raf laughed at her reaction. Their guardians meanwhile watched the film with great interest.

"Who'd of thought that the Autobots were sci-fi nerds," Jack said to himself. Arcee nudged him but besides that said nothing. The group watched the film in peaceful silence before Fowlers face popped up on the terminal, causing Ratchet to let out a surprised yelp.

He'd never admit it, but the medic was a huge fan of the movies as well and had been watching out of the corner of his optics. Fowler suddenly appearing on screen therefore had almost caused him to spring a leak.

"PRIME!" Fowler's voice yelled, "What in _blazes_ are your people _doing_ out here!?"

Optimus looked at the terminal confused.

"We had an _agreement_," Fowler snapped, "_No_ collateral damage!"

"I am sorry, Agent Fowler," Prime answered, "But all Autobots are present and accounted for,"

"Then explain why I'm getting reports of two jumbo sized bots mixing it up twenty miles outside of Omaha!?" Fowler demanded angrily.

"Decepticons?" Ratchet offered.

"There _has_ been plenty of infighting lately," Arcee replied.

"Megatron can't seem to keep his ranks in line," Jack finished. He'd spent enough time fighting the cons now to know that currently there was a bit of a rivalry between Airachnid and Starscream at the moment, with Breakdown and Knockout adding to the fire.

Way he saw it, if they kept hitting the cons, something was going to break.

"Well, I'm just arriving on the scene," Fowler said, "Have a look,"

A grainy image of a downed ship filled the computer screen, a blue 'Con hid behind the wreckage, charging up what looked like a cannon. He was large, nearly Optimus size and even from the grainy image his red optics were clearly visible.

"I dunno…" Bulkhead started, "Paintjob aside…it _can't_ be Skyquake…you and Optimus pounded him into the ground!" he reminded everyone. In the early days before everyone knew Jacks secret, Starscream had attempted to use a warrior known as Skyquake to strengthen his position as new leader of the cons.

It hadn't ended well when Bee caused him to crash into the ground at mach 1.

"Before _Starscream_ yanked him back out!" Arcee continued, "As some undead Terrocon," Jack shuddered at the memory of the shadow zone, his closest brush with death. Arcee patted his back reassuringly trying to ease him out of the memory.

"Question is, who's the dance partner?" she asked.

The video zoomed in on another ship revealing the other Cybertronian locked in combat. They couldn't make out much on the figure except that she was a large femme nearly as large as Optimus. She was firing back at the con from behind a damaged Cybertronian ship but a blue substance could be seen leaking from her side. Apparently she had been injured by the con.

And on her right shoulder a silver Autobot emblem was emblazoned proudly across her shoulder.

"By the All Spark!" Ratchet breathed, "It _is_ one of ours!"

"But I do not recognize this Autobot," Optimus stated curiously.

"I don't care if they're old college buddies!," Fowler yelled, "We've got to contain this situation before we _all_ wind up on the ELEVEN O'CLOCK _NEWS_!"

Optimus nodded "Autobots," a cough from Jack and Kara got his attention, "And allies, rollout," he finished calmly.

Ratchet opened the bridge while Arcee returned to her normal size and Jack and Kara switched to their super suits. If they fought in their civilian clothes they'd have to be new clothes every day. Once everyone was ready, the bots transformed and rolled through the bridge while the alien teens followed swiftly out onto the battlefield…

_Omaha…_

Dreadwing scowled from behind his cover. This femme had been tailing him for Primus knew how many cycles. All because he killed one Autobot of hers. Regardless, this chase ended now, of that he'd make sure of it.

He turned out from behind his cover and opened fire with his laser cannon, the large shots pinging off the ship the femme was hiding behind. He slowly grew closer to the femmes location before he deactivated his cannon placing it on his back.

He grabbed hold of his sword and pulled it out, the large blade unfolding in his grip. He jumped behind the ship to confront the femme only to find that she had disappeared. The only sign of her was a small pool of Energon from her injury.

Dreadwing hear the whoosh of a blade from behind him and twisted. His blade locked with the femmes twin blades, the two locked together in a struggle. The femme was strong, he'd give her that much credit, but her injury was weakening her. Her blades only slightly trembled from the injury, but it was enough.

The seeker wrenched his blade to the side, breaking it free of her blades. He twisted on his heel and kicked her in the chest knocking her back. The femme used the momentum to roll back onto her feet, her servos shifting into two blasters and she opened fire on Dreadwing.

The con stalked forward using his sword to block the blaster shots or letting them bounce harmlessly off his incredibly thick armor. The con confidently moved forward and swiped at the femme who'd backed herself against the gas station store. In a surprising use of flexibility and speed he didn't know she possessed with her current injury, she bent all the way to the right avoiding the blade only just.

She whipped back up and fired two shots point blank at his chest, knocking him backwards. His armor was mildly burnt but it was superficial damage. He'd suffered worse. He twirled his blade and swiped at her again, cutting and slashing as she dodged backwards, her servo now grasping the wound to slow her leak.

"I grow tired of this game femme," he growled. She said nothing simply glared at him through her silver visor.

She backed away from another swing but made a rookie mistake. Something so simple it could have happened to anyone. She tripped over her own pedes and fell on her aft. Dreadwing smirked at her simple mistake.

"While this game most assuredly has been fun, I fear our time together must come to an end," he said raising his sword over head.

At that moment a green vortex swirled open and twin blue blurs shot out of it. The first one slammed into Dreadwing's faceplate, twisting him to the side his blade slamming into the dust beside the femme. The second one slammed into his midsection causing him to double over in pain.

The second blur came back and gripped him by one of his wings and tossed him across the ground. Dreadwing skid across the ground only to immediately get back up, a look of pure anger plastered across his faceplate. The anger was quickly replaced by confusion as he saw Jack and Kara floating before him.

He heard the roar of engines and saw Team Prime come roaring out of the bridge, transforming as they did. They armed their weapons directed towards the con. A jet engine roared overhead and the con looked overhead and smirked. A human jet was hovering overhead only for Him to scan it.

His form shifted slightly to accommodate the changes before he transformed and took off into the night sky.

Jack looked to Optimus, "Want us to go after him Optimus?" he asked.

The Prime shook his head, "We currently have more pressing matters," he said and shifted his blasters back to servos before turning to the femme who was still lying on the ground holding her side.

She was covered from head to toe in black armor with a black battle mask covering her faceplate. Even her optics were covered by a silver visor that swept back towards the base of her skull, allowing full range of view. Her armor was angular and sweeping, appearing to be almost made of layers of black and silver.

A crown of sorts swept back on her helm, creating two curved horn like protrusions. Sprouting from the back of her head was a long silver and black braid made of glinting metal. Her servos were clawed similar to a Decepticons, though not to the extent of say Megatron or Dreadwing. Silver highlights occasionally dotted her armor, contrasting with the pitch black of her armor.

Her body was curved and elegant but held an air of strength to it that many of the Autobots themselves exhibited. She appeared almost terrifying but respectable as well, appearing as if she'd walked out of the void itself.

Optimus approached the femme who appeared to sizing up the Prime. He stopped in front of her and held out a servo, "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots here on Earth. And you are?"

"Voidwalker," she replied, her voice was flat and unfeeling, devoid of any emotion. She ignored The Primes outstretched servo and got to her pedes herself with no struggle.

Optimus was unperturbed by the femmes cold personality, "Do you require any medical assistance?" he asked motioning to her injury.

"No," she walked past the Prime towards her ship, ignoring her oozing wound.

"We have medical staff at our base, they could treat your wound," Optimus pointed out.

Despite this, Voidwalker for the most part seemed to try and ignore him or the other's protests approaching her ship that was covered in scorch marks. Jack frowned at the cold nature of the femme and flew up landing on a part of her ship.

She seemed to not expect this and paused if only for a moment, "Look, we're offering free medical care and back up, worse that can happen is you have to socialize for five seconds," he pointed out.

Voidwalker narrowed her optics and her visor dimmed. Almost subconsciously she put a servo over her bleeding side. "Get off my ship organic."

Jack narrowed his own eyes, "Afraid not, we can have you patched up and on your way in a few hours," he replied stubbornly. Jack was not one to back down, and something about her was rubbing him the wrong way.

"Get off my ship or I will dump you in orbit." She hit a panel on the side and started up the ramp. Energon dribbled down her leg as she made her way up.

Jack scowled, and Kara looked between the two nervously. Her brother was incredibly stubborn and she knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer… or take kindly to threats either. As predicted, Jack immediately flew in front of the femme, his eyes only faintly glowing red. If things went any farther she'd have to restrain him.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but here we have a thing called common courtesy. So how about you get that stick out of your aft and have that injury looked at!" he exclaimed angrily

Voidwalker did not like this puny organic. 'Injury my aft.' she thought. The bots didn't quite follow what happened next, but she lunged forward and pinned Jack under her knuckles.

"Learn a little respect for your elders child." She ground out in that same emotionless voice before backing off him and straightening out.

"Who is your medic?" she asked Optimus.

"Ratchet, he will be able to quickly treat your wound if you wish to leave quickly," Optimus explained while Jack resumed his position next to Kara, glaring slightly at Voidwalker.

"She showed you," Kara joked nudging him.

Jack just grunted while watching the femme interact with Optimus, "She just caught me off guard," he muttered.

Voidwalker looked at the ground a moment and vented. "Alright. Can you move my ship?" she asked.

Without saying a word Jack flew underneath the vessel and hefted it overhead with ease, Kara holding the other end to keep it balanced. Voidwalker almost seemed to grin and Jack simply rolled his eyes as the ground bridge opened up and the two flew the ship into the base.

Once they set the ship onto the main floor relatively out of the way Miko and Raf ran to the edge of the platform, "Awesome ship, what about the pilot!?" she asked excitedly.

Jack huffed in irritation as he landed next to her and Kara slapped his arm, "What!?" he demanded.

"Stop making an aft out of yourself, your acting like Ultimus," she scolded.

"I…" Jack paused for a moment before hanging his head, "Fine, got it, I'll stop acting so stubborn," he growled.

"Jeez, how bad is this new girl?" Miko asked.

Before either of the two could answer the remaining bots walked through the ground bridge, Optimus helping Voidwalker who clearly was in worse condition than she claimed. But of course, Miko being… well Miko, had to ask the new bot questions.

"Wow, you're big as Optimus! How fast are you, do you use swords, can you transform into a jet, how fasts your ship go?" Miko proceeded to list off about a thousand questions a second before Jack or Kara could stop her.

Voidwalker stared at the pink hair organic and vented though her exterior ports. A modification unique to the femme, the air blasted forth and Miko could see some of her interior workings; and perhaps it click in Miko's mind that she was not a normal bot.

She let a low growl rumble through her frame and broke away from Optimus in a momentary show of strength and walked over to Ratchet. Miko meanwhile hastily backed away and resumed her position on the couch.

"Tried to warn you," Jack said earning a glare from the Asian girl.

A low hiss emanated from the med-bay and the remaining three kids turned to see Ratchet trying to seal the wound on Voidwalker's side. Apparently it wasn't a pleasant feeling as the femme kept jerking away every time he got near her with his torch.

"Sit still femme," he ordered, grabbing her shoulder and holding her in place," Unless you want to bleed out I suggest you stop moving," he growled.

Once he managed to get started Voidwalker seemed to calm slightly and turned her masked gaze to Optimus, who's faceplate clearly showed he had several questions in mind for her.

"You have questions," she stated more than asked.

Optimus nodded, "What has brought you to Earth?" he asked.

"Dreadwing," she answered plainly," He's a con, I hunt Cons,"

"Simple motivation," Jack whispered to himself.

"What is the situation on this planet?" Voidwalker asked.

"Up until recently we were engaged in a war with Megatron and his forces in secret," Optimus explained and Jack noticed the femme slightly stiffen at the mention of the warlord. He raised a borrow as no one else seemed to notice this but decided not to say anything.

"The inhabitants of Earth were not ready to know of our existence up until another alien race invaded this planet," he said gesturing to Jack and Kara. Voidwalker's mask made it difficult to read her expressions but for him that was no problem. He could see through it with ease and saw her glaring at both of them warily.

"You know your mask isn't very good at hiding your faceplate from me or my sister," Jack said, "We can see right through it and glaring at us isn't a good way to make first impressions. And no neither me or my sister were a part of the invasion, more like the invasion followed us because there leader had a serious grudge towards our family," he explained.

Voidwalker's faceplate became completely devoid of information or thoughts she might be having," Useful information," she stated plainly.

Jack inwardly cursed as Kara laughed at him lightly. He shouldn't have said that, now the femme's faceplate was completely blank and any thoughts she might have displayed were gone. He made a mental note to not so easily reveal the rest of his powers to her, like his super hearing and heat vision.

"Needless to say Jackson and his sister have been vital to our cause as standard weaponry has little effect on them except for stunning them," Optimus explained.

"But, the natives of this planet, humans, are not as durable or powerful as those two, and as such we are to limit human casualties whenever possible,"

Voidwalker was silent for a moment watching Ratchet put her back together. "Do we receive support from the native organics?"

"Only through intelligence reports. They are a young and violent race and so we have kept the level of our technology that we share to a minimum or else we risk worsening the delicate balance that they are currently maintaining," Optimus said.

"Hasn't stopped a few from trying though," Arcee said bitterly, rubbing the faint welding mark over her T-Cog.

"Not all the natives are happy with this arrangement," Voidwalker stated.

Optimus shook his helm, "No, there is a human terrorist group referred to as MECH that has captured and butchered several Cybertronians regardless of the faction. There most recent victim was Arcee when they attempted to use her T-Cog to create their own Cybertronian warrior,"

"Who is in pieces in the storage room," Arcee said fondly.

Ratchet poked at the armor that he just finished welding and tried to find the locks. "That is enough doctor."

"No, that was only the outside your internals are still a mess."

"Enough." she caught his prying servo.

"Fine."" he retracted his servo. "What is your make?"

"None of your concern." Voidwalker said flatly, voice box rasping.

"As your physician you stubborn femme it is my concern, now tell me what is your make or I will use the mass-shifter to turn you into a doll for Miko to play with," he threatened. Jack would have laughed at this except that when Bee had not listened to the medic he actually used the exact same threat… Poor Bee was still picking doll clothes out of his armor.

Ratchet felt a thin blade against his stomach plating, right in between armor plates. "It is none of your concern. And if you value your organic pets I would not recommend that," she growled.

Jack felt his blood boil and his eyes started to radiate red as this new comer threatened Ratchet and his friends, "That a threat femme, you try and lay a servo on any of my friends I won't hesitate to send you on a one way trip to the sun," he threatened.

Voidwalker smiled under her mask as if she was amused by his threat, "Relax organic, Ratchet is too well know a mech to offline." her blade retracted back into her arm with a shink.

Jack narrowed his eyes but said nothing, "Regardless, if you plan to stay here I will not tolerate threats of violence towards my team or our organic allies," Optimus said firmly.

Jack saw Voidwalker grinning like a bandit under her mask and arched a brow at her. She seemed to find this whole scenario funny. Her features returned to their usual blankness and she responded in her typical monotone.

"As you wish Prime," she said simply.

Optimus nodded in thanks to the femmes response, "Ratchet will you show Voidwalker to her quarters?"

Ratchet nodded and motioned for the femme to follow him down the hall to a set of quarters. Some of the tension in the air seemed to fade somewhat once she was gone, and the group began to disperse back into what they were doing before the femme arrived. That is they were watching Star Wars.

Arcee used the mass-shifter again, the device no longer causing the loud booming and flashes of before and returned to the couch with Jack. The two nuzzled together while Kara floated above them watching, and Miko sat at a different couch with Raf away from the loving couple who could be sickening romantic at times.

In this case Jack had resumed one of his favorite habits, running his fingers across her winglets despite her protests, "Jaaaack," she warned.

He smiled innocently, "What?"

"Yooou knooow what," she purred as he ran another finger across the seams where her winglets met her back.

"Hey if it keeps you calm and relaxed I'm not going to stop," he replied. Arcee only let out a purr as he continued his tracing the seams.

Everyone just chuckled at how content the femme was, no one had really seen her act this way. It was refreshing to see it for once. She was practically a different person when he did this to her.

The group continued to watch the film until Jack heard the light sounds of footsteps. Heavy footsteps, but still too quiet for any human or bot to pick up. Having super hearing, this was not the case for Jack or Kara.

The two turned to look behind themselves subtly, Arcee too caught up in her purring to notice, and saw Voidwalker leaning against the wall watching them. It was as if she was studying them trying to figure out how they worked.

Kara, being the positive and relatively friendly girl that she was, tried to put her charm into action, "Voidwalker," she called, "Want to watch a movie with us, maybe learn a little about human culture?"

Voidwalker cocked her head to the side like a cat and after a moment of internal debate, pulled herself from the wall. Her footsteps as she walked were much heavier now, matching her size and weight.

She stopped and knelt down slightly until she was visor level with the teenage Kryptonian girl. Her visor was unreadable, and Kara chose not to see past her mask. Unlike her brother who was pulling an Ultimus right now, she was willing to at least try and be friendly with the femme which included not violating her privacy.

Voidwalker's visor turned slightly towards the screen of the television, "This… movie, what is it about?"

"It's a space opera," Raf replied, he being the only one not truly intimidated by the femme.

She cocked her head to the side confused by the boys term, "It's basically a story about how a boy who lost his family to an evil empire goes on a quest to stop them and learns to use a power called the force to become a Jedi Knight," he explained.

"In other words, a nerd movie," Miko moaned.

"Nerd?" the femme asked confused.

"It's an insult that bullies use to describe anything beyond their intelligence," Jack said bitterly, stopping from tracing Arcee's winglets to her disappointment.

"Then why did the female use it?" Voidwalker was looking at the girl clearly coming to a similar conclusion to Jack. That humans were very weird.

"Because it's Miko. With her we don't really question anything, we just kinda accept it," Kara said smiling as she did.

"Hey I'm right here you know!" she yelled indignantly.

"Miko," Voidwalker sounding out the pronunciation of her name.. "An interesting designation, what are yours?"

"Rafael Esquivel," Raf said, "But most people call me Raf,"

"Kara Darby, or Kara Jor-El. But really just Kara to my friends," Kara said happily.

Jack had by now gotten out of his relatively pointless anger at the femme at this point and spoke to her as well, "Jackson Darby. Or Kal-El. But I prefer Jack," he said before rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"And… sorry for acting like such an Ultimus earlier," he said.

"Ultimus?" she asked.

"My inter dimensional counterpart. He was a bit of a jerk when we first met. Come to think of it for a Prime he sure didn't act like one," Jack explained.

"No but then again he is your counterpart Kal, so that would probably explain it," Kara joked.

"You have wandered the dimensions?" Like the thirteen?" Void asked.

Jack shrugged, "Not on purpose, a little trickery by the Decepticons and a misplaced ground bridge sent me to an alternate dimension,"

"Yeah but if it hadn't you never would have found me," Kara pointed out.

"Wasn't complaining, just a little angry at Megs for dropping a singularity on me while trying to escape Zod before he tried to use me as his own personal punching bag," Jack pointed out.

Arcee shuddered slightly, "Let's _not _talk about that man, okay Jack?"

Voidwalker glanced away and then back. "How is Megatronous? I have," she paused "not heard about him in a long time." she shifted uncomfortably.

"The same as always, the power hungry warlord who tried to kill us all by using Dark Energon to resurrect the dead on Cybertron and use them to conquer Earth," Arcee said, her voice angry before she raised an optic ridge.

"Though I haven't anyone call him Megatronus since he made his speech to the council," she said.

Voidwalker looked away and vented. "It was nothing I was just curious,"

Arcee took note of her dismissal but ignored it, "Anyway, ever since we got back from the alternate dimension con activity has been fairly low,"

It was at that exact moment that one of the terminals started beeping, setting off an alarm, "A Decepticon mining operation," Ratchet explained, "And a big one,"

"How'd we miss it then?" Arcee asked making her way to the mass-shifter.

"It was well shielded, but it appears the shielding has failed at least temporarily," Ratchet stated.

"Sounds like a trap," Bulkhead said, Bee whirring in agreement.

"Regardless, any chance to weaken the Decepticon Energon supply is a chance we must take. We are out gunned, our only hope is too hurt their supplies the best we can do," Optimus said.

Voidwalker stood to her full height and shifted her servo into a long elegant blade. It was pretty obvious what she was asking. Optimus simply nodded in agreement and looked to Ratchet.

"Open a ground bridge," he ordered. The medic nodded and soon enough the green vortex swirled to life.

Optimus looked back to the group of Kryptonians and Cybertronians, "Autobots, Transform and roll out!"

_Energon Mine…_

The now rather large group emerged into a large subterranean area with Energon crystals dotting the hallways. There was no sign of miners or any work what so ever really. The whole area screamed of a trap. Optimus engaged his battle mask, shifting his arms into his blasters.

"Tread carefully," he warned, "We do not know what kind of trap the Decepticons may have laid for us,"

Everyone nodded and readied themselves, blasters armed. Jack and Kara floated gently above the ground scanning the area with their X-Ray vision and the former using his hearing to listen to possible movement. Void and Arcee moved silently across the tunnel their blasters armed.

Bee and Bulkhead followed Optimus, scanning the areas to his side, but like the others found nothing. Nothing but darkness and silence. Jack frowned, this was too easy, where were the cons? There was no way they could be hidden this silent for this long, something was amiss.

At that moment, a ground bridge opened in front of them allowing over three dozen Vehicons to pour out of the bridge lead by Starscream, Knockout, and that new Con Dreadwing, whose Energon cannon was currently deployed.

"Optimus Prime!" he yelled, "I will enjoy ending your spark for killing my brothers!"

Before the Prime could say a thing to the con, the Vehicons opened fired on Team Prime. Most of the team took cover except for a few exceptions. Optimus charged into the sea of Vehicons, slamming several out of his way, firing at Dreadwing.

Arcee and Voidwalker charged in from the side, firing into the group of cons. Moving more agile than one her size should, Void flipped over a Vehicon, her servos shifting into her blades and decapitated it with a twist. Arcee fired into one behind her before landing on her hands and pushing forward, kicking another in the chest.

Kara flew into several Vehicons, tackling them into the ground and tearing them apart with her bare hands. Jack ignored them and made his way straight to Starscream while Optimus engaged Dreadwing.

Jack punched the con in the faceplate, knocking him against a protruding Energon crystal. He let out a snarl and opened fire with his blasters, a poor mistake. Void walker leapt over another Vehicon and slammed a foot into his midsection.

"Mind if Arcee and I have our fun with him?" she asked.

Jack smiled, "Knock yourself out,"

"Speaking of," he said, turning to Knockout.

"Oh no, I am _not _fighting you again, not after last time!" He shrieked scrambling away from the teen… Only to run into Kara's leg. Or more specifically her foot, which planted itself under his chin. The con flew backwards and proceeded to get his aft kicked by the two teens.

Meanwhile Starscream was engaged in a fight with Arcee and Voidwalker, only just staying out of their range. He fired a missile at the former, causing her to fall forward. He bared his talons as and approached her.

"Arcee I expected better out of you. At least more out of you then your pathetic partner Cliffjumper when I personally ripped out his spark," he proclaimed.

"That was you!" she snarled, and unsheathed her blades, aiming to dismember the mech. Voidwalker beat her to the punch. She grabbed him by the arm and twisted, before cutting the offending limb off with her blade.

He looked at his dismembered limb in shock, "Oh come on! That's the third time I've lost that arm!" he shrieked, before Void kicked him in the chin knocking him towards Arcee.

Arcee sliced her blade across his chest, knocking him back towards Void. The femme slammed a foot in his chest, making him double over in pain. She twisted on her heel and delivered a roundhouse kick to his faceplate, knocking him to the side.

The seeker scrambled backwards away from the two terrifying femmes, "Dreadwing, we must retreat! The battle is lost!" he shrieked as Voidwalker grabbed him by the throat.

Dreadwing looked at Optimus and his smoldering troops, before letting out a frustrated yell, "Very well, consider yourself fortunate Prime. The next time we meet shall be under less fortunate circumstances," he snarled. A bridge opened behind him and he rushed through.

Knockout followed after him, his paint job covered in scratches and dents. He was about to go through when Voidwalker threw a battered Starscream after him, the two falling through the bridge. It closed behind them, and the battlefield became silent.

Bulkhead let out a low whistle, "Remember when the cons used to be a threat?" he asked walking across the field of dismembered cons.

"You telling me you want that back?" Arcee asked in disbelief.

"No, just saying at the rate were tearing through their troops I'm surprised ol'buckethead hasn't given up yet," he replied.

"Megatron is an opponent who is persistent," Voidwalker said.

"True," Optimus replied, "But he lacks allies, and in the end, that will be his downfall,"

**A/N: I know I know, weak place to end the chapter, but I just couldn't come up with a better way to end it. But, on the plus side we have a new character! So, what do you guys think of Voidwalker? She's not my creation, my editor Ardianna Keeper made her, and has a backstory for her on her profile. Anyway, what did you think of the chapter as a whole? Good, bad, or meh? Let me know in that little thing called the review box down below or PM me for plot ideas or questions! Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Adjustments

_Autobot HQ…_

Kara was lying up in the rafters of the base content. Two days had passes since Voidwalker had shown up at base and said femme was in her quarters. In fact she spent most of her time in her quarters only coming out for Energon or missions. Kara had to wonder how she could spend all her time alone like that, it couldn't be enjoyable.

Then again, sometimes Kara liked to be alone too. Maybe Void just wasn't ready to really get to know the rest of base. Not counting her first day at base, the femme had been fairly anti-social and Kara was determined to if anything, get the femme to talk for more than five seconds. Or make her laugh, either would be nice.

At the moment though, Ratchet, Miko, Bulkhead, and Void were the only ones in base. Bee and Optimus were scouting an Energon deposit, while Jack and Arcee were out doing whatever it is they did when they were alone.

Miko and Bulkhead were watching some sort of monster track rally on the television, but the expressions on their faces read of one emotion… Boredom. With Kara and Jack around things against the Con's just weren't as difficult as they used to be. With that said, those two being bored was quiet a dangerous thing, as Miko was about to demonstrate.

"Hey Kara!" she called, catching the teen's attention.

Kara leapt from her perch landing lightly next to the girl, "Yes Miko?" she asked.

"You're about as strong as Jack right?" Miko asked eagerly.

Kara eyed her warily, "About, why?"

"Well I was thinking that maybe you and Bulkhead could play a game of lobbing since Wheeljack's not around," she suggested eagerly.

"Lobbing?" Kara asked confused.

"It's an old Wrecker game, real simple," Bulkhead explained, "Basically you hurl this big ball of scrap back and forth as hard as you can between each other till someone drops it," he hefted a large ball made of various pieces of scrap to show her.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Kara asked warily.

"Hey you can take it, you've taken on cons a big ball of scrap won't hurt you!" Miko encouraged.

"I don't know," Kara said hesitantly.

"Come on Kara, please!?" Miko begged, using her sparkling eyes on the teen.

Kara let out a defeated sigh, "Fine, I'll play,"

Miko let out a whoop of victory and Bulkhead smiled slightly, "One round," she stated plainly.

"That's fine that's fine, now go!" Miko said excitedly.

Kara floated off the platform into the open area the bots would occasionally play their games in. She floated in front of the main tunnel entrance with Bulkhead standing in front of the med bay. The wrecker leaned back with the large ball of scrap, and heaved, the ball hurtling towards Kara.

She let out a surprised squeak as it slammed into her, but caught it regardless. She twisted around and flung the ball at Bulkhead hard and fast. He dove to the side and caught the ball, plucking out of the air with his large servos.

They repeated this process several times, and a large grin was starting to appear on Kara's face. The game was fun in a sort of non-thinking sort of way. Kara gripped the ball and flung it hard towards Bulkhead… Maybe a little too hard. It slipped out of his servos, flew up and bounced off a wall and crashed into set of tools on Ratchets table.

"Kara!" Ratchet screamed, "I NEEDED THAT!"

Kara floated up to the table looking at the now shattered too, "Sorry Ratchet," she said sheepishly.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, I needed that," he pointed out.

"Well what do you want me to do about?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

Ratchet placed a servo on his chin thinking for a moment before an evil glint shown in his optics, "Normally the organic inhabitants of this base can't work on our equipment as they risked being injured," he started and Kara didn't like where this was going.

"But given how Kryptonians are stronger and more durable than humans, _you _can fix my broken tools," he stated.

Kara's jaw dropped. "What!? Ratchet I don't know the first thing about fixing Cybertronian tools!" she protested.

The medic smirked, "Than I suggest you get started, you aren't going home until my tools are fixed,"

He pointed to one of the terminals, "All you need to know is on that terminal," he explained and walked off grumbling to himself.

Kara sighed and got to work on fixing the equipment she'd broke. Somehow, some way, she'd get back at Hatchet… question was how?

_Later That Night…_

Ratchet lay in his quarters deep into induced stasis. He was resting fairly peaceful tonight as Kara had repaired his tools faster than either of the two had expected. Along with that, there had been no sign of con activity all day, and the members of Team Prime and their organic allies were spending the night in base.

Miko, Raf, and Kara were sleeping in the main hall, while Arcee and Jack were sharing her quarters as per usual. Optimus was the only one still awake, typing busily filling out the typical reports for the human politicians. Even now thousands of years later, politicians were his biggest challenge to fight.

At least, Optimus appeared to be the only one still awake. A small shadowy figure glided through the halls, searching for a room. The figure stopped at each door, peaking though it, trying to find its target. Eventually, the figure came to a stop in front of Ratchets room and silently entered.

The figure glided over to the medics berth and landed next to his neck. The figure knelt by his neck and activated several small switches hidden under the chords of his neck. A small slide on the top of his throat slid open, exposing his vocal processor. The figure climbed onto his neck and attached several small wires into it.

Ratchet shifted slightly and muttered under his breath. The figure froze, not moving an inch for fear of being caught. The medic stopped shifting and fell back into his deep sleep. A small sigh of relief escaped the being, and the figure resumed its work.

Several minutes later, her work finished, Kara slid the piece of armor back over his vocal processor and flew out of his room. It was going to be an interesting morning tomorrow to say the least…

_The Next Day…_

Most of the base had awoken by now, except for Ratchet. Everyone was out in the main hall for once, even Voidwalker, who was leaning against a wall, arms crossed. Miko and Raf were engaged in a race between RC cars while their respective guardians cheered them on. Jack and Arcee were up in the rafters away from everyone else for once being ungodly romantic.

Kara was watching all this eagerly awaiting the awakening of a certain Autobot medic. She'd come up with the idea for her prank last night after stumbling upon some information on vocal processors while repairing his tools. That had sparked the idea, and now she just had to wait.

She didn't have to wait too long, for several minutes later a high pitched voice echoed through the base, "KARA!"

Everyone froze and turned to the girl who had an innocent grin on her face. Before a single person could ask what she'd done, Ratchet came storming out from a hall. He appeared unchanged, and no one would have guessed what she'd done to him…until he spoke.

_"__Ich werde dich töten!" _he screamed furiously in a high pitched German accent.

Jack and Arcee landed next to Kara, "What did you do?" he asked.

Kara giggled, "I modified his vocal processor to only speak in high pitched German," she admitted.

_"Du dummes Mädchen, bist du in so viel Mühe!" _he screamed furiously.

Kara cupped a hand to her ear, "What was that Ratchet? I don't speak German," she said innocently.

_"Als ich meine Stimme wieder normal sind Sie für es!" _he screamed, and everyone started to fall into laughter at the hilarious tone of his voice.

"Hey maybe we can get him dressed in lader hossen and have him start yodeling," Miko suggested before falling into laughs.

"_Weißt du nicht anfangen zu Mädchen!"_ Ratchet said in a threatening tone. Or as threatening as he could be.

Everyone let out another gush of laughter not noticing the wrench sliding into Ratchets hand. There was a whoosh through the air as the wrench went flying towards Kara, and proceeded to knock her flat on her aft.

_"Nehmen Sie, dass Sie reizt Kind" _he growled angrily.

Kara got up, rubbing her head and looked down at the wrench that had ricochet of her head. Jack moved to see if she was okay, but Kara answered that question with her own actions. The wrench went flying through the air and bounced of the medics helm with a loud ping, causing him to stumble back.

_"Was war das für!?" _he demanded angrily.

_"Oh du unten beruhigen alten Kessel. Nicht wie es wird jede dauerhafte Schäden sein," _Voidwalker said in perfect German. Everyone looked at the femme in surprise.

"When did you learn to speak German?" Kara asked in surprise.

Void shrugged, "One should always learn about their environment, even if it's a new planet," she said simply.

Ratchet seemed to calm somewhat, but was muttering to himself in German. Void ignored the medics mutterings and turned to Kara, "But you shouldn't have made it so that Ratchet could not be understood. The results could be disastrous," she scolded in her emotionless voice.

"I was just getting back at him for yesterday," Kara said innocently.

"Regardless, it was childish and immature. You should have thought that through before acting on impulse, you could get someone hurt that way," Voidwalker replied.

Kara hung her head, "Then perhaps you can help Kara mature by acting as her guardian," Optimus said.

"Excuse me?" Void asked looking at the Prime.

"All our human and Kryptonian allies have been assigned a member of this team to act as their guardian. It allows them to experience human culture and allows them to learn of our culture," Optimus explained.

"Since you and Kara are both relative new comers to this world, it only makes sense that the two of you get to know each other so as to better understand your new home," he reasoned.

Voidwalker and Kara were silent, neither one of the two saying a single word. Kara's mind was racing though at Optimus's suggestion. She'd always wanted a guardian like the others, but Voidwalker was her polar opposite in almost every way.

Kara was talkative and outgoing, Voidwalker was silent and sulking. Kara tried to socialize and learn, Voidwalker simply watched and observed. There were hardly any similarities between the two. Bee and Raf could understand each other and both enjoyed video games, Miko and Bulkhead were both adrenaline junkies in their own rights, and Jack and Arcee where…. Jack and Arcee.

Voidwalker apparently felt the same way, "Apologies Optimus, but I don't even have a human vehicle form. How am I to act as Kara's guardian if I posses no vehicle form capable of transporting her?"

An almost mischievous glint passed through the Primes optics, but it was gone in a flash, "Then you two shall have to find one,"

He turned to Ratchet, who was trying to fiddle with his vocal processor at the moment, "Open a bridge," he ordered.

"_Ja, mein Führer," _he said inciting laughs from everyone else. He activated the bridge which swirled to life.

Voidwalker looked to Kara and let out a slightly irritated sigh, "Let's go," she ordered, and the teen reluctantly followed.

Ratchet walked up to Optimus, "_Das wird sehr schlecht enden,"_

Optimus smiled, "Well said old friend," he replied. Ratchet flung his servos into the air with a frustrated grunt and walked away…

_Along the freeway…_

"How about that one?" Kara asked pointing at a black Lexus driving by.

A grunt of disapproval from Voidwalker was her only response. Kara rolled onto her back and sighed in frustration. Voidwalker and her had been sitting here watching passing cars for a good half-hour. For a silent femme she sure was picky though, turning down every car that passed by.

"You know this wouldn't be so dull if you actually decided to talk," Kara pointed out.

Voidwalker said nothing, her visor tracking the passing cars below, "You know, talk, that thing people and bots do to learn about each other," Kara stated.

Voidwalker was silent, but her annoyance was obvious in her posture. She was kneeling forward over the large hill they were sitting on, and was tense. She obviously was only doing this because Optimus ordered her to, and would leave as soon as possible.

Kara sighed, "Fine, I'll start first. How come you called Ratchet an old boiler?" she asked.

The femme looked to Kara, "What do you mean?" she said her first word since they got here.

"You said, and I quote 'Oh calm down you old boiler. Not like there will be any lasting harm.'" Kara looked up at her and crossed her arms.

"You can understand German?" Void asked.

"I can understand most human languages, I was just messing with Ratchet," she explained, "Point is, why did you talk to Ratchet that? It's like you've known Ratchet for a while the way you said it,"

Void looked away, "That is none of your concern," she stated.

"Wrong, you're my guardian now, if we're going to get along then we should get to know each other," Kara argued.

"There is nothing about me to know," Voidwalker said.

Kara frowned, "I'm not stupid Void, I know your lying," she said.

The femme turned her gaze back on the girl, "My past is none of your concern child. I have done many things that don't concern you or the others," she said.

"I wasn't talking about what you did during the war. I meant before the war. What did you do before the war, were you a scientist, an entertainer?" Kara by this point was making it her personal mission to get the femme to tell her something about her.

"There…. is nothing before the war," Void said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Kara let out a frustrated sigh and sat cross legged on the desert floor, "Your more stubborn than my brother," she growled in frustration.

A very small chuckle emanated from Voidwalker, "Yes, Jackson is very stubborn," she agreed.

Kara smiled faintly, and pressed her small advantage, "He's just such a worry wart sometimes. He thinks no one else can take care of themselves," she said.

"I've noticed," Voidwalker said, a small smile in her voice.

"Still, guess that when you grow up bullet proof its bound to happen. He never did get to know how it feels to be a normal Kryptonian," Kara said sadly.

Voidwalker shifted her form to face Kara, "What was this Krypton like?" she asked.

Kara smiled faintly, "Similar to Earth but at the same time different," she said her voice glazing over with nostalgia.

"Unlike Earth, we had a much harder atmosphere to breath, and a red sun," she said, "Everything was a faint shade of red, but you never noticed it unless you came to a place like this,"

"Cybertron as well had a red sun," Voidwalker said.

"It was awful really," Kara said, "Everything so red, I'm convinced it made everyone more cranky than they needed to be. Especially Father and Mother, all they would do is worry about me or the planet," she hung her head.

"I miss them so much," she admitted sadly.

Voidwalker cocked her head to the side, "What happened to Krypton?" she asked.

"I never actually knew, but according to Father our core became destabilized because we tapped into it to power our technology. It was our downfall, and now only my brother and I are left," she explained.

"But despite this you still help us?" Void asked.

Kara nodded, "Of course, this is our home now, and the bots are our friends," she said, "And that's what friends do, they help each other,"

Voidwalker looked down at the girl for several seconds before looking back at the highway, "There," she said pointing to a large motorcycle. It was large and black, twice the size of Arcee's alt mode.

It had two large tires, the first sticking far in front of the other, creating a streamlined appearance on the bike. Two headlights were smoothed into the body on either side, creating a beautiful but deadly looking vehicle.

Voidwalker scanned the vehicle, and grimaced as her body shifted slightly to accommodate the change. Once finished she transformed into her new alt mode and revved the engine. Unlike Arcee's engine, it had a quiet but powerful sounding engine. You wouldn't hear it coming, but you could definitely _feel _it.

"Climb on, I'll drive you back to base," Voidwalker ordered though there was a _slight _gentleness to her voice that wasn't there before. But only slight.

Kara nodded and climbed on, the two driving off back to base. The two were relatively silent for a while before Void broke it for once.

"Why did you prank the medic?" she asked.

Kara shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure, on Krypton I would occasionally prank my family because they were so much more fun to be around when they were trying to be mad but laughing. I guess I do it to get people to lighten up a little," she said.

"Lighten up?"

"Human term, means relax or acting less serious all the time. You could lighten up a little," Kara commented.

"We are engaged in a war that consumed are planet and ended many lives Kara," Void stated, "We do not have time to 'lighten up',"

"I never said to treat everything like a joke, but when people aren't fighting they should relax. Otherwise you might lose yourself to the war," she argued.

Voidwalker was silent for several minutes as they drove before finally speaking, "Perhaps you have a point Kara, maybe I have spent too long wandering the stars alone. I will make a deal with you, you consider your actions more carefully and I will try to 'lighten up' when I deem it appropriate," she said.

Kara smiled slightly, "Guess that's the best I'll get out of you, huh?" she asked.

"Do we have a deal?" Void asked, this time slightly more irritated.

Kara smiled, "Deal,"

_Autobot HQ…_

Ratchet was fiddling with his vocal processor, still trying to fix whatever it was that Kara had done to it. So far he'd gotten it out of German only to start screaming at everyone in an angry Japanese woman's voice. Now he was stuck with the voice of a Spanish maid and everyone was unable to stop laughing at him. Even Optimus had chuckled slightly.

A deep engine rumbled through base as a pitch black motorcycle with a very familiar rider pulled into base. Kara got off of Voidwalker, and the femme transformed to robot mode finding a spot on the wall to rest against as per usual.

"So Ratchet, how's the voice box treating you?" she asked.

" ¿Qué tan bien cree niño malvado!" he cried in his soft Spanish voice.

Kara snorted slightly before Voidwalker let out a small cough. Kara sighed, "Here, let me fix that for you," she said and floated up to the medic.

She made a few quick changes before floating back, "There that better?" she asked.

Ratchet rubbed his throat before looking at that the girl, "YOU NO GOOD LITTLE TROUBLE MAKER, HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO ME! DO IT AGAIN AND I'LL HAVE YOU SCRUB THE ENTIRE BASE FROM HEAD TO TOE WITH A TOOTHBRUSH!" he screamed, causing the girl to fly back.

"I take it that's a yes," she said and flew away from the medic before he flung a wrench at her. She quickly landed by her brother who was laughing slightly at the scolding she got from Hatchet.

"Where's your girlfriend?" Kara asked.

"She and the others went out on to stop a small Decepticon raid on a military base," he explained.

"So how was it being alone with tall, black, and terrifying?" Miko asked.

Kara looked to her new guardian and smiled slightly, "Not as bad as you'd think Miko, there's more to Voidwalker than meets the eye," she said softly.

The three kids exchanged confused looks before shrugging. Obviously something happened between the two, it wasn't there place to pry. Still, Jack was glad to see his sister was able to get along with the femme. Who knows, maybe if their luck held out they'd get a flyer on their team…

**A/N: Short chapter is short. This was NOT what I originally had planned for this chapter. But after receiving multiple complaints that Voidwalker was underdeveloped, this chapter appeared. The next chapter will be far more epic and mind screwing than anything yet written in A New Threat so far. Those of you who know what's coming, stay quiet and you will get a cookie. If anyone is able to guess what is Voids occupation was before the war, you get a gold star **_**and **_**a cookie. Besides that, what did you think of this chapter? Like, dislike? Any suggestions for later pranks to be used by Kara? PM me ideas people I need ideas!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Armada

_Elsewhere…_

Jack sighed as he looked around the landscape. Another dream it seemed. He thought that maybe they would stop, he hadn't had a nightmare or dream in weeks. But now he was starting to think they weren't just guilt induced trips like he thought.

His dreams it seemed to a point where warnings of things to come. Jack would have to talk Kara about that, maybe Kryptonians could be precognitive at times. That would just worsen the pain in his aft for sure.

He shook himself and looked at the landscape that was slowly forming around him. Metal floors began to assemble themselves, metal buildings spiraling into the air. He quickly realized that this was no desert but Cybertron. Why would he be dreaming about a place he'd never seen before? Odd.

He heard a clash and turned to the source of the noise. He saw an odd sight. Two Cybertronians were engaged in sword play, their blades crashing against each other. It seemed to be a fight to the death as their blades whipped through the air faster than the eye could track.

The larger of the two wielded a blade that burned a bright vibrant blue and his strikes were strong and powerful. His armor was black and purple with what looked like white lower legs and a white tank turret on his back. Two tank treads stood straight into the air, so large they'd give Ultra Magnus a run for his money.

The second one was smaller and more aerodynamically designed. He was covered in blue armor with red highlights, with wings sticking out on either side. His faceplate was a pale red with grey optics, and his sword was a blazing red. Two wings stuck out from his knees and their appeared to be two large cannons folded onto his back.

The two locked their blades and the blue one spoke in a gravelly voice, "I often wondered what it would be like to battle against you Galvatron," he grunted trying to hold back his opponents blade.

He started pushing Galvatron's blade to the side, "But your words are stronger than your fighting abilities!" he declared.

"I'm very disappointed!" he taunted.

"You insolent fool!" Galvatron snarled and twisted the red blade out of its owners hands flinging it into the air.

Galvatron let out a war cry and swung hard and fast from the side. The winged bot leapt into the air, dodging the blow and grabbing the blade. He flipped in midair and came flying back down towards Galvatron, aiming to cut him in two. The larger bot dodged the blow, barely escaping the blade.

"An A for effort, but unfortunately your misguided aspirations are about to end in failure Starscream!" he declared. Jack looked at the blue bot in shock. He looked nothing like the Starscream he knew, fought nothing like him. What was going on?

"This battles far from over Galvatron," Starscream said confidently.

"Oh right I forgot who you are," Galvatron said sarcastically, "a mere Decepticon soldier who's programming has gone haywire,"

Both cons retook their fighting positions, "I admire your moxy, but I must inform you that your brave attempt to overthrow me is about to end in failure, unless of course you decide to turn and walk away right now, and if I'm in a good mood I might decide to spare your miserable life," Galvatron growled.

"This is my final offer Starscream," the supposed Starscream was silent and Galvatron scowled.

"Alright then, I believe you have made your final decision and now it's time to pay the consequences soldier!" the two charged again their blades locking into place.

A loud boom echoed through the area and lightning scourged the ground as the two fought, kicking up dust in debris. Jack looked up and saw that it originated from a moon above with two horns sticking out. What was going on?

He looked back at the battle and saw Galvatron blocking Starscream's blade with his forearm, "Oh I'm impressed Starscream," he mocked, "But not enough to be worried,"

The seeker had Galvatron's own blade arm locked next to his side, his arm holding it in place, grunting angrily, "So do the smart thing and back down while you still can!" he snarled. The con said nothing, merely stayed silent.

Galvatron growled, "Better hurry up and decide Starscream!" he yelled and knocked the blade off his arm. The seeker let go of his arm and leapt backwards putting some distance between himself and Galvatron.

Galvatron let out a war cry, "TIMES UP STARSCREAM!"

There was a sound of metal on metal, and the two warriors stood in front of each other. Starscream's blade was dangerously close to Galvatron's neck and Galvatron…. Had run Starscream through.

Galvatron growled, "You're starting to annoy me Starscream," he growled.

"It's the least… I can do," he replied smugly, despite the blade imbedded in his chest.

"Where in the universe did you get all this power!?" Galvatron demanded, ducking out from under his blade, still frozen in place.

"Right now that doesn't…matter, does it…Galvatron," he answered weakly.

"Tell me, why did you let me run you through like that soldier?" Galvatron asked.

Starscream exhaled weakly as he fell on his back, his blade imbedding itself into the ground. Jack didn't know much about Cybertronians, but he knew that if he didn't get medical treatment soon, he'd go offline.

Galvatron let out a frustrated yell, "This has all been a complete waste of my time!" he declared.

Starscream ignored the bots yelling, "I remember… a very long time ago… I swore an oath to you Galvatron… and I could never break that oath," he stated.

Galvatron stood to his pedes and Jack watched in fascination. What was going on here?

"You had this planned all along, didn't you!?" Galvatron accused.

"I did sir," Starscream admitted weakly.

"But all of this could have been prevented… if only you'd given me some respect," he started. Jack frowned, respect and Starscream where two words that he never expected to hear in the same sentence.

"Save your breath Starscream," Galvatron ordered.

The seeker ignored him, "I tried to gain favor from you…but nothing was ever good enough…no matter how many battles I fought, you always found fault…Then I saw how Optimus treated his men, and I realized he was a leader of integrity," the seeker paused, "Unlike you,"

Galvatron narrowed his optics, and Jack knew what he'd say next," You were too weak to ever gain my respect," he answered simply.

"None of that matters now," Starscream said, weakly pushing himself off the floor. He grunted in pain as he did, the blade still embedded into his chest.

"You must listen!" he said with renewed strength, "Do as Optimus says and join forces or else every last one of us is doomed!" he warned, swaying slightly from side to side.

He stumbled slightly to the side and Jack knew he wouldn't last much longer. He looked up at Galvatron and smiled weakly, "Pleas sir…do it for me,"

As if in response, more lightning shot down from the heavens and streaked across the ground tearing up the metal earth of Cybertron. A serious look passed over Starscream's faceplate, and he reached forward, grasping the blade in his hands. He began to pull on it, agonized grunts of pain emanating from him as he pulled at it.

"No Starscream don't!" Jack yelled though he wasn't sure why. Something about _this _Starscream demanded respect and trust. Not like his universes or the one from Dusks universe. And if he removed that blade…

Starscream screamed in agony and ripped the blade from his chest, flinging it to the side. He turned to look towards the sparking moon, his injury sparking and leaking Energon. He focused his gaze on the moon and scowled.

"It's time to finish this once and for all!" he declared, his spark shining through the hole in his chest, "ACTIVATE PROTON CANNONS!"

The two large cannons on his shoulders swung forward, pointed at the large moon, who was flowing with energy now, "You're all mine Unicron!" he screamed and two massive waves of energy surged from the cannons, racing towards the moon at a pace even he couldn't match.

What happened next horrified Jack. Lighting struck down, striking the seeker who let out a wail of unbridled pain. His body slowly broke to pieces, the energy decimating his metal form. In seconds, all that was left of this Starscream was a crater…

The energy wave, the last bit of him in existence flickered as it lost power… and died…

Jack woke with a gasp, his eyes snapping open. He shot upwards out of bed, his forehead coated with sweat as he started to breath heavily from what he just saw. He quickly became aware that he was still in the Autobot base sleeping with Arcee, but that only registered in the background.

What he'd just seen… what had he just seen? There was no way that that was just a normal dream. Someone or something was trying to tell him or warn him about something. Question was, should he tell the others about what he had just seen.

He felt a metal hand on his shoulder and looked to see Arcee, or rather her glowing optics in the dark," Are you alright Jack?" she asked with worry.

He put on a fake smile, "I'm fine, just… just a dream," he said. Arcee of all people wouldn't understand that dream for good reason. Starscream had killed Cliffjumper, and while the one he'd seen was far different from the coward he fought… Arcee likely wouldn't care.

The suspicion was obvious in the femmes face, "Really Arcee I'm fine," Jack insisted.

"Fine," she finally said, "But if you want to talk about it,"

"I don't it was just a dream," Jack said. The femme sighed and lay back down, Jack following suit. He closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep and forget what he just saw. It was a dream, there was no reason to worry about it…

_Later that day, Autobot Training room…_

Everyone was assembled in the training room minus Optimus and Ratchet who were busy as per usual. Optimus had suggested that Voidwalker, who quickly had proven to be the most competent fighter on the team with skills equal to the Prime, help train Jack and Kara.

Both of said teens were powerful in their own rights, but their fighting styles lacked finesses and restraint. Jack was the first to admit that he needed to train more often and agreed along with Kara. Void had been reluctant at first, claiming that training ones so much smaller would be nearly impossible.

Her argument was shot down however, when Arcee mentioned that they had _two _mass shifters for use and could use one for training. So now Void stood across from Kara standing about 7 feet tall and wielding a long metal staff. She insisted on using the weapons claiming it would be best for the two to learn how to use some sort of weapon.

In fact there was a wall dedicated to various practice weapons ranging from long swords to staffs to clubs. Kara was wielding a staff herself, believing it was the least lethal weapon she could use. She didn't have as much experience holding back as Jack, so she chose a weapon that wouldn't accidently hurt her guardian if she made a mistake.

Voidwalker slowly circled Kara, swirling her staff as she did. Void had said there was nothing to teach and the only way the two would learn was through example. As such, Kara was absolutely terrified of what was coming next.

Voidwalker suddenly shot forward, swinging the back half of her staff towards Kara's midsection. She managed to block the blow, only to receive another one on the side. She received a series of blows from the femme, only blocking or parrying a quarter of them.

"Don't just watch your opponents first attack, anticipate their moves before they make them," Voidwalker stated as her staff whipped Kara's legs.

The girl yelped and jumped back, rubbing her leg to get the feeling back. Once the feeling returned she charged forward and tried to swing her staff out to Void's side. The femme leapt over her attack and spun in midair, slapping the girl across her back.

Kara yelped again as Void landed and swept her staff out. Kara's legs went to the side and the girl fell to the floor, only for the staff to be placed under her throat.

"You were reckless," she stated plainly.

"I don't get why we have to use weapons when we are stronger without them," Kara complained as she got back up.

"This isn't about learning how to fight with a staff, it's about learning how to fight period. Take a break, I'll handle your brother for now," Void ordered.

Kara sighed and nodded and Jack walked to the weapons rack, searching over the various weapons and such. His eye came to a stop on a steel katana, and he lifted the weapon out. Though the blade was purposely dulled, it felt well balanced and natural to him.

So shrugging, he entered the ring and adopted his posture, sword held in front of him. His stance resembled that of a samurai. Or the stance of the fighters he saw in his dream.

Voidwalker swung her staff around again as the two opponents circled each other. Unlike Kara, Jack had far more combat experience and wasn't afraid to try and win against the femme. Didn't mean he would, but it was worth a shot.

Void struck out with her staff and Jack knocked the blow away. The staff bounced away and she used the momentum to twist around and attack from the opposite direction. He knocked it away again, only for her to swing it overhead.

He brought the blade up to block it, only to receive a blow in the gut from her pede, "What was that for!?" he demanded.

"Your opponents won't fight fairly. Neither will I," she stated plainly.

Jack scowled and this time attacked first, and the two engaged in a drawn out exchange of blows. Unlike Kara, Jack was holding his own fairly well… For now. A blow from Void knocked his sword from his hands and into the air. Jack looked up and leapt for the blade, Void imitating him.

He grabbed it midair and struck downwards. Void blocked the attack as she jumped up from below, and flipped over him. She used his back as a springboard and jumped off him, landing on the ground and rolling forward.

Jack on the other hand was sent into the floor where he landed with a grunt. He twisted onto his back before rearing back and jumping to his feet. He readied his weapon and slashed repeatedly at Void, who backpedaled away from his blows.

Jack pressed his advantage, only to feel a sharp pain against the back of his leg. He looked down to see that Void had used her staff's extended range to knock him on the inside of the leg. The blow hurt but nothing more, and Jack knocked her staff away.

The two began exchanging blows once more until his blade locked with her staff. Jack slowly started pushing her back, his strength giving him an edge over the femme. He pushed hard suddenly, and knocked her staff back. He raised his sword to deliver a final blow, only to get tackled by the femme who had abandoned her staff for a more hands on approach.

He dropped the blade and the two tumbled across the floor before breaking apart. Jack stood up in time to receive a round house to the face, spinning him around. He managed to stop himself and look at Void only to receive a punch in the gut and a knee to the face.

Jack growled and grabbed her leg as she kicked at him again, and twisted spinning the femme. Instead of falling to the floor, Void let the spin move her to the side rolling to her feet. Jack delivered a series of cobra fast strikes towards her.

His fist lashed out again, only for Void to grab his arm and flip him over head. Jack landed with an oof on his back and Void placed her pede on his chest. He saw her smirk behind her mask and innocently smiled.

"I win," Void stated and offered him a hand. Jack grabbed her hand and attempted the same stunt he'd pulled on Kara. Instead Void continued rolling and slammed Jack on the mat again.

"I. Win." she stated.

"You win," he squeaked in agreement.

Void offered him a servo and this time he took it accepting her help up. Once he was back on his feet, the femme turned away from him and made her way to the mass-shifter, quickly turning herself back to her original full size.

"For now that is enough training," she stated and left the room leaving the others in the training room.

"Dude, you got beaten by a girl!" Miko squealed as Jack approached his friends.

"That a problem Miko?" Arcee demanded.

"Ugh no… Just funny to see the great Jack get defeated is all," she said sheepishly.

"Void is probably one of the best fighters I've ever seen," Arcee said, "Maybe even as good as Optimus,"

"Would have been nice of her to show up sooner, but hey at least she's here now," Bulkhead said as the group exited the training room.

"Good, just the bots we were looking for," Ratchet said as they all entered.

"Why's that doc bot?" Miko asked as she ran up the platform.

"I've detected a surge of Energon in the Californian redwood forest," Ratchet said, "And I need you to investigate,"

"Who do you want to investigate?" Arcee asked.

"I will investigate, Arcee and Bulkhead, you shall accompany me," Optimus answered walking in.

"What about us?" Jack asked.

"You shall remain here, it is but a simple investigation, there is no reason for you to accompany us," Optimus stated.

Jack sighed and slumped into the couch, "Understood Optimus," he replied.

"Don't worry Jack, we'll get some more time together later," Arcee said with a wink walking up to the Prime.

The Prime nodded, and his battle mask slid into place as Ratchet activated the bridge, "Autobots, Roll out!"

The three transformed and rolled through the bridge. It quickly closed behind them, leaving only the empty bridge tunnel…

_Redwood Forest…_

Arcee and the others transformed to robot mode as they exited the bridge. Said bridge swirled shut behind them leaving the forest silent. Arcee scanned the area with her optics, blasters armed and ready.

The sun was high overhead, casting shadows from the massive Redwoods that dwarfed even Optimus Prime. Their armor glinted in the sunlight as Optimus lead the group onwards, using a scanner he'd pulled from his subspace. There heavy footsteps were muffled by the covering of leaves and soft ground of the forest.

"So what do you think exactly caused this Energon surge?" Bulkhead asked.

"Con experiment gone wrong, some campers lit a fire too close, could be anything," Arcee replied as the three walked through.

"According to the scanner it should be right over this hill," Optimus said.

He turned to Arcee, "Scout ahead carefully, we do not know what could have caused the disturbance," he ordered.

The femme nodded and ran silently up the hill. As she reached the top she slowed and kneeled down to peak over the hill. She saw no sign of cons or humans but saw something equally confusing.

The area was a large open clearing, relatively rare in forests like this. Green grass sprouted everywhere, forming what Arcee believed was called a meadow. But in the center of the meadow, the grass was burnt or singed, small fires dotted around the edge of a large flaming crater.

She motioned for the others to follow forward, " No sign of cons, just a large flaming crater," Arcee said and pointed to said crater.

Optimus nodded, "Then let us investigate. Carefully," he warned.

The two nodded and armed their blaster, slowly walking towards the crater. The two slowly edged along the edge while Optimus approached it directly, blaster and sword ready. The three looked into the crater, only for confusion to plaster their faceplates.

A Cybertronian lay in the crater, and an odd looking one at that. He was large, nearly as big as Dreadwing, and the same shade of blue. That was where the similarities ended though. He was dotted with red highlights on his wings and chest as well as a red faceplate. He wore a black helm of sorts that appeared.

He was clearly a flyer as he had to wings on his back facing vertical. Two wings were also on his knees, and his thighs where colored white while his shins were blue. His armor appeared simplistic, with a jet nose cone facing down in the center of his chest. A large crack was evident in his chest and he was clearly heavily injured.

Emblazoned on his wings though, was the Decepticon emblem, "It's a con," Arcee hissed.

Optimus brought a servo to his comm. "Ratchet, ready a ground bridge… and the med bay," he ordered.

"Wait, Optimus you can't be serious!?" Bulkhead demanded as the Prime made his way into the crater towards the injured con.

"He is injured and requires medical care," the Prime stated as if it were obvious.

"Good, let him offline then. One less con to worry about," Bulkhead growled.

Optimus looked at the wrecker who sighed, "I know, I know, not the Autobot way," he moaned.

"I could use some assistance," Optimus stated as he tried to carefully lift the con.

Bulkhead jumped into the crater and took the con under the other arm, and the two walked out of the crater. The bridge materialized in front of them and the two walked towards it while Arcee followed.

"Ratchets going to love this," Arcee muttered…

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack and the others watched the ground bridge eagerly awaiting the three to return. He wondered who they had found that caused Optimus to order Ratchets med bay to be readied? Maybe one of the bots were injured? He hoped not but still…

What came through the bridge caused him to freeze stock still. Optimus and Bulkhead came through carrying…Starscream. The one from his dream, clearly unconscious but very much alive and intact.

How was this possible? He'd died in his dream, turned to ash! There was no way he could have wound up here! But then… He had the exact same wound he'd had in the dream. He'd wait till the con woke up before assuming anything, maybe it was just a very similar looking con.

"He is in need of medical care Ratchet," Optimus explained

"Are you out of your mind!" Ratchet demanded, "Bringing a Decepticon here! We don't have the Energon to take care of him," he argued.

"Last I checked doctor, we had enough Energon to last two years," Voidwalker pointed out.

Ratchet glared at the femme who looked away innocently. No one saw him throw the wrench through the air, but without even looking the femme caught it with one hand. The medics jaw dropped as the femme redirected her gaze towards him.

She dropped the wrench on the floor, still looking at him, "I think you dropped something Ratchet," there was a small hint of cheekiness in her tone as the medic growled and picked up the wrench.

Optimus coughed not so subtly and the medic groaned, "Fine, place him on a berth, I will get to work,"

The Prime and Bulkhead moved the unconscious con onto the berth and Ratchet got to work, quickly and efficiently stabilizing and repairing his wound in a matter of minutes. He emerged from his work with an unpleasant look on his faceplate.

"I've stabilized him, but when he'll awake is anyone's guess," he said and looked directly at Optimus, "Are you certain this is a good idea Optimus?"

"We are not Decepticons Ratchet, we do not leave others to die," Ratchet looked unconvinced, "When he awakens we shall speak with him. If he takes any hostile action _I _will put him down personally," he promised.

As if on cue a moan could be hear from the med bay, followed by the creaking of joints. Everyone moved into the med bay, Optimus first and foremost. Jack and the others watched from the platform. Jack was transfixed, this cons voice sounded exactly the same as the one from his dreams.

The con was rubbing his head with a servo, before he looked up and opened his optics. They were an astonishing grey as he looked at Optimus with a confused look on his faceplate.

"Who are you, where am I?" he asked Optimus.

"I am Optimus Prime, and you are in our base located on Earth," Optimus explained.

The con gave Optimus a look of disbelief, "You are not Optimus, I know Optimus and he looks and talks differently than you," he stated.

Optimus arched an optic ridge, "Perhaps it would be best if you explained who you are then," he suggested.

"Starscream _former_ member of the Decepticons," he stated, adding emphasis to the word former.

The room fell completely silent and Arcee narrowed her optics, "We know Starscream and you aren't him," she replied.

Starscream looked at the femme confused, "I am Starscream I was there when the mini-cons left Cybertron and Megatron took us to Earth to find them,"

"Mini-cons? Why would the cons want a bunch of mini-cons?" Bulkhead asked confused.

Now the supposed Starscream looked at him confused, "The mini-cons were the whole start of the war on Cybertron. They are capable of unlocking a Cybertronians most powerful weapons, like my proton cannons," he said motioning to the cannons on his back.

"The war was started when Megatron tried demanding to be made leader of Cybertron," Voidwalker growled.

"It would appear that we both have different ideas of how the war started," Optimus said and looked at the con, "Perhaps you should explain the events of your war," he suggested.

Starscream nodded and began to explain his story. He told of how the mini-cons came to Earth how he and the other cons chased after them and that the Autobots thwarted them at every turn. He told them how he abandoned the Decepticon cause because he was simply a tool for Megatron to use and manipulate.

He told of how he'd returned to the cons, a mistake he regretted and in the end tried to convince Galvatron, a rebuilt Megatron, to form an alliance with the Autobots to fight off Unicron.

"But I don't know if it worked, the last thing I remember is pain through my whole body and then… nothing," he said placing a servo to his head.

Optimus looked thoughtful for several moments, "It could be possible that Unicron did not wish for you to be destroyed, but simply moved you to another world… Ours," Optimus said.

Starscream looked up at the Prime, "Regardless, I have decided where my allegiances lie," Starscream said and everyone visibly tensed except Optimus and Jack.

Starscream knelt down before Optimus and bowed his head, "I pledge myself to you Optimus Prime, to serve as a foot soldier to do with whatever you see as fit," he said calmly and detached his wing, shifting it into a glowing blade. He placed the point on the ground and kneeled his head on it.

"My blade is yours,"

Optimus looked at Starscream and back at his team, "We need a moment to discuss these events," he said.

Starscream looked up at Optimus and nodded, but remained kneeling in place. Everyone filtered a small distance away, keeping an optic on the possible former con.

"Optimus you can't seriously believe this con, can you?" Arcee demanded.

Optimus nodded, "I do,"

"But what if it's a con trap?" Bulkhead asked.

"Yeah, what if there just trying to learn the base's location and then… BOOM!" Miko exclaimed.

After that the group descended into arguments, Optimus trying to calm the team down and Jack remaining silent while everyone argued. He sighed and let out a deep cough that caught everyone's attention.

"I trust him," he stated simply.

Everyone looked at him shocked before Arcee spoke, "Jack, how can you trust him. Even if what he's saying is true, he's a Starscream, by nature they can't be trusted,"

"Everyone just look at him for a moment," Jack said. All bots assembled turned to look at Starscream. He was still knelt in his same place, his sword planted into the ground. His helm was bowed still, but the look on his faceplate suggested that he was listening to everything.

"Autobots are supposed to give a chance for anyone to redeem themselves. Optimus has tried to give the cons a chance to redeem themselves on multiple occasions. How can they though if we reject the first con who _wants _to change?" everyone was silent as Jack finished.

Optimus looked to the assembled Autobots, "The final say is yours," he said.

He looked to Bumblebee who reluctantly nodded. Bulkhead followed suit and he looked to Ratchet, whose arms were crossed, "Fine!" he growled throwing his servos into the air and walking to the terminal.

Voidwalker simply nodded, "Some deserve a chance at redemption," she said quietly.

Everyone's gaze fell on Arcee who was silent for several seconds. Of all those here she had the greatest reason to _not _let this newcomer join. After all, the Starscream of their universe had killed Cliffjumper.

Arcee sighed and looked at Jack, "Fine, he can stay, just keep him away from me," she growled and transformed to drive off. Jack sighed, he was sleeping on the couch tonight, he just knew it.

Optimus turned back to Starscream who had been watching them. He quickly lowered his head again as Optimus approached.

"You have no need to bow Starscream, among Autobots you are an equal," he extended a servo to the seeker, "Welcome to Team Prime,"

**A/N:So, how many people saw THIS coming huh? Hey you, yeah you in the back, keep your hands down. Anyway, thank Darkdemon for this idea, we were discussing various Starscreams and well, Armada Screamer showed up and I just couldn't forget how awesome he was. Anyway, next chapter is Nemesis Prime, a chance for the new screamer to prove his loyalty to the Autobots! And the appearance of a villain I've been waiting to write for a long time. Guesses anyone? Those who I've told stay quiet. Anyway, questions ideas, PM me with them! Adios!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Nemesis Prime

_Autobot HQ…_

To say that the time since Starscream had joined was tense would have been a massive understatement. When Arcee had returned from her drive she wasn't quiet as angry as before and no longer outright hostile towards him anymore… But she didn't apologize for what happened and Jack couldn't really talk to her about it.

He knew she felt like he'd betrayed her, but he hadn't. Arcee wouldn't understand why he said that the alternate Starscream should stay, and frankly Jack doubted that she'd believe him. So he'd taken her relative silence towards him in stride.

The alternate Starscream on the other hand, had been relegated to his quarters where he'd remained. Not out of orders from Optimus but likely to absorb everything he'd just gone through. It had been a full day since then, and by now the tension in the base was at least starting to lessen.

Arcee had eventually started to talk to Jack again and he felt the two needed to talk in private. That said he walked up to the femme who was watching Raf, Miko and Kara race RC cars their respective guardians cheering them on… Except for Void of course, but then it probably would have been scarier if the femme ever said anything in a cheerful tone.

"Arcee," Jack said standing behind the femme.

She spared a glance at him before returning her attention to the RC race happening below, "Arcee, please don't act like this, I only did what was right," he argued.

Arcee was silent for several seconds before sighing, "You're my partner and my boyfriend Jack, I just wanted you to support me," she said.

"Arcee you know I would, but if supporting you meant doing something wrong…" he didn't finish the statement.

"Look, I know that you don't trust Starscream, but this is a different one from a completely different universe, just give him a chance," Jack pleaded.

She looked at him hesitantly, "Please Arcee?" he asked, using his own sparkling eyes.

Arcee sighed, "Damn it Jack, when did you get so persuasive?" she demanded, smiling faintly.

He shrugged, "It's a gift,"

Arcee placed a hand on her hip and smiled fully, "Fine, I won't try and kill him the next time I see him," she said.

Jack perked up smiling, "But that doesn't mean we're going to be buddy, buddy, and if he makes one wrong move…" Arcee didn't finish, she didn't have to.

Jack nodded, "Guess that's the best I could get from you isn't it?" he asked.

"You know it," she replied and the two returned their attention to the race.

It seemed like Raf was going to win again when the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard from the hall. Everyone looked up to see Starscream walking out of the hall. Unlike theirs though, he didn't hunch over trying to stay out of sight.

He held himself square and upright, almost as if daring anyone to make a comment towards him. As it was, Bee and Bulkhead returned their attention to the race, Arcee scowled but said nothing else, and Voidwalker was the only one to continue looking at him directly.

"Is there something you need?" Voidwalker asked, using her dead voice that she had been using less and less since Kara became her guardian.

"I am in need of Energon, my reserves are running low," he admitted.

"I'll show him where the room is," Jack said ignoring the glare from Arcee. She would have to get over this pointless hate sooner or later, this Starscream didn't deserve it.

He leapt from the platform landing with a light thud. He stood up and motioned for the seeker to follow. Rather carefully he stepped carefully around the race track the kids had set up and followed, his pedes echoing against the floor. Next to Voidwalker and Optimus he was the largest bot in the base.

Jack lead him through the base's hallways leading him to the Energon storage room in relative silence. Truthfully since he'd been relocated to his quarters this Starscream had said practically nothing. Jack had to wonder how long that would last.

"Why are you acting so friendly?" Starscream asked. Apparently not that long at all.

Jack turned to him as they walked, "What do you mean?"

"You have just as much reason as the rest of the humans and Autobots to not trust me, so why are you going out of your way to be friendly towards me?" he asked again.

"Well for one, you aren't the same as our Starscream is," he explained, "You look and act completely different. Two, I tend to try and not judge people before I get to know them. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt the best I can,"

Jack could also have told him about the dream he had, but decided against it. No one needed to know about that, best that he keep it to himself. In the meantime though he decided to press this Starscream for some more information.

"Why were you so willing to rejoin the Autobots if you abandoned them before?" Jack asked.

Starscream directed his grey optics directly at him, "I realized that despite my oath of loyalty to Galvatron, I couldn't continue to serve him when the war was pointless. His stubbornness would have destroyed all of Cybertron,"

Jack stopped in front of a large door, "Well here we are," he said, rolling the large steel door up to reveal the large stacks of Energon to the seeker.

"Two cubes a day is the daily ration," he explained. Starscream nodded and several minutes later emerged from the room with several Energon cubes.

Jack arched a brow at him, "A small peace offering if the others would accept it," he stated.

Jack nodded, "Makes sense, though I think you should let me give one to Arcee… your counterpart and her don't get along," Jack suggested.

Starscream looked from the assortment of cubes in his arms and to Jack, "I can lift it easy, I'm _much _stronger than I look," Jack said.

Starscream shrugged and placed a cube in front of him that came up to his waist, "If you say so human,"

"Also, not human," Jack said hefting the Energon cube onto his shoulder.

Starscream looked at him skeptically, no one had explained what he and Kara were yet, "You aren't human? Right, and I'm an insecticon," he said in disbelief.

"I'm not," Jack countered and flew into the air, cube in hand, "Me and my sister are Kryptonian, we _look _like humans but are a lot stronger," he explained.

Starscream looked at the floating teen before walking forward, "Interesting," he said calmly. The two made their way back down the hall emerging into the main area.

The bots stopped and looked to Starscream and his arms full of Energon while Jack landed next to Arcee and handed her a cube. The curious looks on all their faceplates were enough to prompt Starscream to answer.

"I simply wanted to offer Energon to you… For refueling," he explained and held out the cubes.

Bee and Bulk looked to each other before shrugging and taking a cube from his arms. Ratchet took one as well, albeit hesitantly and Voidwalker shook her head when he offered one to her. That left him with an extra cube.

"Place it over there," she said pointing to a berth by the decontamination room, "Optimus will want some when he returns.

Starscream nodded and placed the cube down and leaned against a wall, his arms crossed as he watched the race below. He took a small sip form his Energon but tried to avoid looking at any of the bots.

"Did you put him up to this?" Arcee whispered to Jack.

The teen shook his head, "No, I just showed him the room, this was his idea," he replied quietly.

A thoughtful expression appeared on her faceplate but beside that she said nothing. Instead the couple watched the race below with renewed interest.

Bee chirped out words of encouragement as he got into the race, as did Bulkhead, "Metal to the pedal, Miko," he cheered.

Raf's car began to inch ahead Miko's and Kara's, "No way, Raf's squashing us!" she said in disbelief.

There was a loud beeping noise from the terminal and Ratchet activated it. Agent Fowlers voice sounded over the speakers.

_"PRIME!?"_ Fowler yelled, _"Do you read me?"_

"I'm sorry Agent Fowler," Ratchet said, "Optimus isn't here at the moment,"

_"Then I'll take that as a confirmation that he's presently trying to run me off the road!"_ Fowler growled.

"Optimus would not do that," Voidwalker said.

"Voidwalker is right, Agent Fowler," Ratchet replied, "That hardly seems likely,"

_"Tell that to my burning treads!"__ the agent responded.__There was a loud crash of metal and Fowler let out a yelp of surprise._

_"Ratchet open a bridge," Void ordered, having taken charge._

_He nodded quickly and activated the bridge, "Autobots," she looked to Starscream, "Roll out,"_

_Every bot minus Ratchet ran through the portal…_

_Nevada Highway…_

All the Autobots and Starscream ran out of the bridge to a sight no one expected to see. A large red and blue semi was pushing Fowlers car towards the edge of the bridge. There was a loud crash as it broke through the railing.

Bumblebee ran forward and grabbed his car's rear bumper. There was a low groaning sound before it snapped off and fell to the floor below. Starscream ran to the side and leapt off the bridge, flying below Fowlers car.

He caught the vehicle in his servos, landing on the ground lightly. He peaked through the window and saw that Fowler was unharmed. Activating his thrusters he shot upwards flying back atop the bridge. He set the car down and looked up at Bee and Bulkhead.

"What happened to the femmes?" he asked, the two in question gone.

"They went after the Optimus look alike," Bulkhead said.

"I'll go follow, if this truly is Optimus or a look alike they will need all the help they need," Starscream said and turned towards their direction.

Bulkhead and Bee looked to each other before looking at the seeker, "Look, not that we don't appreciate you helping Fowler but…" he trailed off as Starscream glared at him.

"There is no time to argue Autobot," he growled and leapt into the air, "TRANFORM!" his body shifted to a large blue Cybertronian like Jet before shooting off into the air.

The seeker swiftly flew overhead scanning for the two femmes and was pleased to find both of them in robot mode by an abandoned gas station. He shifted to robot mode and landed next to the two only to find they'd been knocked unconscious.

He scowled, whoever this was… They showed some margin of competence if they could knock to Autobots out. He knelt down and lifted Arcee and Voidwalker, flinging the former over his shoulder and holding the other bridal style. It wasn't comfortable or light, but he would manage.

He turned back towards the other Autobots and began his slow trek back…

_Autobot HQ…_

_Arcee groaned in pain as she awoke from unconsciousness. A bright light shined into her optics and she blinked a few times, "That's it, follow the light," Ratchet said gently._

_Her optics opened fully and she groaned as she pushed herself off the berth, "Poor choice of words Ratchet," she said._

"Arcee are you alright?" Jack asked worriedly from the platform.

She smiled faintly at her boyfriends concern, "I'm fine Jack," she said before frowning.

"Except for being blindsided by…" Arcee fell silent.

"By who!?" Jack demanded.

"Blindsided by Optimus," Voidwalker said, her voice tense.

"Didn't I _tell_ you?!" Fowler demanded.

"Watch your tongue human," Starscream growled from his position against the wall.

"That vehicle may have resembled Prime's alt mode, but its color scheme was in far worse condition," he stated.

"I…agree…with Starscream," Ratchet said in slight disbelief at the words coming out of his mouth, "It's impossible,"

"I agree," Void said softly.

"I'm only reporting what I saw," Arcee stated.

"Why would Optimus try to axe of Fowler?" Kara asked, "He can be annoying sometimes but still," Fowler shot her an irritated look but wisely said nothing.

"If Prime, Optimus," Fowler stated, "_has_ gone off the rails for _any_ reason…we have a _serious_ problem."

"That we do," Void said.

"You don't actually _believe_ him, do you?" Kara asked her.

"I don't know," she replied, "But he, it, whatever, tried to kill Arcee and I…and Fowler."

"This is absurd!" Ratchet growled, not believing what he was hearing, "a quick check for Optimus' signal will reveal that he's nowhere _near_ the location of tonight's incident!"

He tapped on the computer before looking back up.

"In fact…" he announced, "He's just returning now!"

A low rumble filled the base as Optimus slowly drove through the tunnel. He entered the main room and came to a slow stop, several of the bots stepping forward. There was a shift of metal as Optimus transformed and stood to his full height, looking over the team. The confusion on his faceplate was obvious.

"Is…something wrong?" he asked.

"We were just..." Arcee then cut herself off as she and Bulkhead looked at each other, "wondering where you've been."

He looked to Void and Ratchet "Is everything all right?"

"We…haven't been able to reach you," Bulkhead continued.

"I have been...outside of our communication range," Optimus said warily.

He reached slowly behind his back and every weapon was pointed at him in seconds. Only Void, Starscream, and Jack weren't threatening him in some fashion. Optimus looked at everyone like they had had their processors scrambled.

"In a subterranean Energon deposit…" he finished, holding up his right servo in a placating gesture while gently holding a glowing Energon crystal in the other.

Jack rolled his eyes as a few weapons were lowered, "Come on, it's _our _guy," he said, keeping an eye on Optimus, "Can't you tell?"

The gratitude in the Prime's optics were obvious as the rest of the weapons were lowered and Arcee walked up to him, "We're…sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed.

"Don't blame them, Prime," Fowler said, "I was attacked earlier tonight…out on the open highway by a big rig. One who bore a striking resemblance to _you_."

Optimus cocked his head to the side slightly, "The only one though who looks similar to Optimus that I can think of," Arcee said, "Is Ultimus, and I think he'd give us a heads up if he came for a visit,"

"This doesn't make any sense, I mean what could..." Fowler was cut off by the ringing of his phone, he answered it, "Fowler...what? That's not possible. I can tell you sure as there are 50 stars on my star spangled shorts it isn't him."

Fowler growled as he hung up and walked up to Optimus, " Haulden Military base is under attack…"

"By who?" Raf asked.

"By Optimus Prime," Fowler said.

"The truck?" Jack asked.

Fowler shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "The _bot_," he clarified.

"Fantastic, another Optimus look alike," Starscream muttered to himself.

"I do not understand…but it can wait. We _have_ to prevent any human lives from possible harm, from my obvious imposter," Optimus growled, "Agent Fowler, provide Ratchet with the coordinates."

The agent nodded and walked to the medic. In a matter of moments the ground bridge had swirled to life and the Autobots assembled. Optimus looked to Void and Starscream.

"You two are to stay here, in case there is an attack elsewhere," he stated the. Both nodded and the remaining team ran through the bridge…

_Haulden Military Base…_

Arcee and the others ran through the bridge and exited blasters armed. The sun was mid way in the air, casting an eerie orange glow on the base. The base itself was in ruin, smoke rising from various fires and buildings, vehicles left in wrecks… And human bodies everywhere.

But what caught her attention was the large filthy mech with yellow optics who looked exactly like Optimus. He had the same body same face, the only difference was the color of the optics and the fact that his paint was faded and scratched so bad that one could only barely make out its original red and blue colors.

The imposter took one look at Team Prime, its dead yellow optics looking at the group… and turned tail to run. He took two long strides before he transformed, his body screeching in protest and drove off.

The bots were about to give pursuit when the sound of choppers could be heard. The team looked in their direction to see roughly 6 or 7 choppers flying towards them. They opened fire, missiles and bullets streaking through the air towards the team.

"Autobots! Return to base! We must not inflict human casualty!" he ordered. The team quickly ran back into the portal, which sealed shut behind them…

_Autobot HQ…_

"No General Bryce, Optimus did not attack our boys!" Fowler argued with his superiors.

Fowler paused as he listened to his superiors "Because I was _with_the Primes when I received the alert...!" Fowler growled, "_Yes_ sir, the Autobots _were_ at your base…but _only_ in response to the initial attack...! But sir I-I...yes sir…I understand."

There was another pause and his eyes widened, "But sir, you said… I understand," he closed his phone and let out a frustrated sigh.

"So what's the damage?" Jack asked worried.

"All military personal are under strict orders to destroy any and all 'Bots on sight," Fowler sighed.

"Are you kidding!" Jack demanded angrily.

"B-but t-they're innocent!" Raf objected.

"Optimus was framed!" Miko cried.

"It gets worse I'm afraid," Fowler said and everyone looked at him confused.

"Bryce has ordered Jack and Kara to capture or destroy the bots," he stated.

The base was silent for several seconds. Everyone looked to the two in worry. Kara looked concern, but Jack… He was visibly shaking in anger.

"He. Ordered. What?" Jack asked angrily.

"Now Jack-" Fowler started.

"WHO DOES HE FRAGGING THINK HE IS!?" Jack demanded, the base trembling slightly.

"I don't take orders from him, you call him right now and tell him he can take his orders and shove them up his-"

"Losing your temper won't solve anything," Starscream said causing everyone to turn to him. He'd remained relatively silent during this whole event.

"There is an imposter out there with the power of Optimus Prime, standing around arguing won't stop it. And neither can the human military" he said plainly and everyone reluctantly nodded.

"Starscream has a point," Optimus said, "the military order changes nothing…our imposter clearly poses a grave threat to humanity…"

"A thirty foot tall _transforming_ impostor," Fowler corrected.

"They actually did it," Ratchet whispered, "those _butchers_ managed to crack the code!"

"MECH," Arcee hissed.

"MECH abducted Breakdown," Ratchet sighed, "and by all indications deconstructed him from cranial chamber to heel strut."

"I was there," Bulkhead said, shuddering.

"And it stands to reason they may have acquired another T-Cog from a Decepticon Vehicon," Optimus said.

"Which they installed in a knock off of you," Kara said.

"Which in turn scanned an appropriate vehicle form…" Ratchet contributed.

"Fill the tank with Energon…" Jack continued.

"And say hello to Nemesis Prime!" Miko said dramatically. Starscream visibly shuddered at the mention of that name.

"So where do we start?" Fowler asked, "MECH's base could be anywhere,"

"Not necessarily," Voidwalker said.

"While MECH may have learned much of our biology…" Optimus started.

"They haven't necessarily absorbed our _technology_," Ratchet finished as he went over to a computer terminal "Without access to a ground bridge, Nemesis Prime would rely solely on its vehicle mode for transportation."

"Chances are the MECH base is within driving distance of both incidents," Arcee said.

"What are we waiting for?" Fowler asked, "Let's get out there and mash MECH's little science project!"

Jack and Kara looked to each other and grinned. This could be quite a bit of fun.

"Agent Fowler," Dad warned, "I do not think it advisable to put yourself in harm's way of MECH's robot again,"

"Well, _I'm_ not sure it's advisable for 'Bots to be running recon with the military out there gunning for you!" Fowler retaliated as he crossed his arms.

"We will maintain vehicular cover till absolutely necessary," Optimus said, "Ratchet, activate the ground bridge, please,"

The medic nodded and activated the bridge which swirled to life, "We shall break into single man teams. Starscream, you shall cover the airways," Optimus ordered. The seeker nodded and stood up to his full height.

"Optimus are you sure this is a good idea? We still don't know if he can be trusted," Arcee argued.

"Starscream has yet to proven his disloyalty Arcee. Until he has given me reason not to trust him I will utilize any benefit at our disposal," Optimus replied.

Arcee opened her mouth to argue, "Is that clear?" Optimus interrupted.

She closed her mouth, "Crystal," she growled.

"Wait Optimus," Jack said, "What about Kara and I, we could be very useful,"

The Prime shook his head, "I do not want MECH to know of your existence Jack. If they were to make the connection that you were in fact the very same Kal-El who stopped Zod's invasion they may refocus their attention on you," Optimus explained.

Jack sighed and fell back into his chair. Even though he wanted to help, he knew Optimus had a point. They'd kidnapped his mom to get to Arcee last time, who knew what they'd do to get a hold of _him._

Optimus looked at the assembled team, "Autobots, transform and roll out!"

_Nevada…_

Optimus drove along a long stretch of road searching for any sign of a base of operations for his duplicate. He'd had no luck so far, but he hadn't given up yet. They'd only been searching for two hours so far, so the search could turn up anything.

"Status report," he ordered, breaking the peaceful calm he'd been enjoying.

_"Nothin' but tumbleweeds,"_ Bulkhead muttered.

_"Just a whole lot of empty,"_Arcee replied.

_"Nothing," _Void said calmly.

_"The sky's are clear," _Starscream rasped.

_**"Guys, I think I found something," **_Bumblebee whirred.

"Bumblebee," Optimus replied, "Proceed with utmost caution. Reconnaissance only. We will rendezvous at your coordinates," he ordered.

_**"Understood Optimus," **_Bee replied and the comm. shut off.

Optimus moved towards the coordinates. In a matter of minutes he pulled up to a large complex. It was dotted with large silos, hangars, and pipes, the perfect place for hiding from the common eye. As he pulled up, he spotted the forms of the rest of Team Prime.

He transformed and walked forward, placing a servo to his comm. "Bumblebee, do you read?" he asked.

Static.

"Fan out?" Arcee asked.

Optimus nodded, "Voidwalker, you are with me. Starscream, you and Arcee shall head that way," he said pointing to the left. Arcee scowled but said nothing, the seeker nodding.

Optimus looked to Bulkhead, who slammed his fists together, "Solo work, got it," he rumbled and lumbered off in the opposite direction.

"Be on your guard Autobots," Optimus ordered, "And beware anything that looks like me,"

_Bulkhead…_

The large wrecker stepped quietly through the jungle of pipes and walkways that littered the complex. So far he'd seen no sign of Nemesis Prime, but was willing to bet he had seen him. The fact that this thing looked like Optimus…

Bulkhead shivered, unnerved by the idea of his own leader going bad. That was something he hoped he never had to see.

The sound of heavy metal footsteps came storming towards him. The wrecker turned to face them just in time to get tackled by a large metal figure. He and the figure tumbled back and Bulkhead stood to his pedes to get a look at his opponent.

He readied his mace as he saw that it was indeed Nemesis Prime who'd attacked him. He slammed his mace into its gut with a loud crash. He slammed his other mace on its head, crashing it further forward.

The duplicate looked up at the wrecker and punched upwards. Bulkhead stumbled back from the uppercut only to receive several hard hitting blows from the duplicate. He stepped back and dodged a blow, and slammed his mace upwards.

Nemesis fell on its back and Bulkhead slammed his foot on the mech's chest, "So much for being a duplicate of Prime," he said and raised his mace.

The duplicate looked up at him with sickly yellow optics, "Whoever said there was one duplicate?" it asked.

Bulkheads optic's narrowed in confusion, when a large servo clamped on his mace. He turned to face the offender and stopped dead cold.

Breakdown smirked, "Lights out,"

_Arcee and Starscream…_

Arcee crept forward, Starscream following close behind. Her blaster arm was readied in case the imposter showed up. Starscream's blade was unfolded and glowed an eerie red. The glow was cast everywhere and glinted slightly off her armor.

"Can you shut that thing off!?" she demanded quietly.

"I am readying myself for the battle," he replied.

"Use a blaster than," she growled.

"I've never had a need for one before," he replied, "only my proton cannons and my blade,"

Arcee let out a frustrated growl and Starscream looked at her confused, "Is something the matter?" he asked.

She looked back at him, "Just… go somewhere else, leave me alone," she ordered.

Starscream frowned, "Optimus…"

"I know what he said!" she yelled quietly, "But frankly I don't care, I don't need _you _of all bots watching my back!" she hissed.

Starscream narrowed his optics and the two stared each other down for several seconds. Finally, the former con let out a frustrated grunt and turned away.

"Very well," he said and walked off, his pedes echoing against the concrete floor.

Arcee let out a sigh of relief, "Sorry Jack, but it's just not worth it," she said to herself and continued on.

She thought she heard steps behind her following her and growled to herself. The stubborn mech wouldn't leave her alone! She continued on ignoring the footsteps for several moments and narrowed her optics. She stopped and stood up, turning to face her stalker.

"Look stop follo-" she stopped as she saw the sickly yellow optics of Nemesis Prime staring at her.

Before she could act, it's fist shot out punching her in the gut… hard. The femme doubled over, gasping for air as she fell forwards. The duplicate slammed a knee in her faceplate knocking her back up before grabbing her by the head and flinging her against a wall. She hit with a loud crash, sliding down against the wall.

She tried to get back up, only to have a large pede slam on her chest, "Arcee," the thing said in a very familiar voice.

The femme narrowed her optics, "Silas," she hissed.

Silas chuckled, "How good to see you again, you haven't changed a bit. Like my new transport?" he asked as his servo shifted into a sickly yellow blade.

Arcee only glared at him, "No? Oh well," he said and his blade plunged down towards her head.

Arcee clenched her optics, expecting the end to come. It never did. She opened an optic to see what happened and felt her jaw drop in shock.

The vibrant red blade of Starscream had blocked Silas's blade inches from her face, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the seeker growled. With a loud grunt he shoved the blade up and slammed his shoulder into Silas, knocking him off Arcee.

The seeker stood in front of her protectively, "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded, "Can you walk?" he asked.

She tried to get up, but felt her left leg fail her, "I need a moment," she said.

Starscream nodded, "Then I'll give you a moment," he replied as Silas got back up.

"So, a new Autobot joins the fray?" he asked mockingly before his optics narrowed on his Decepticon emblem. He hadn't had time to get them removed.

"Or a Decepticon turn coat?" he stated.

"I swore off my allegiance to the Decepticons, my allegiances lie with the Autobots," Starscream growled. Silas shifted his servos to a blade and blaster, the latter of which glowed yellow as well.

Starscream deepened his stance, "Of course, I've been in need of a challenge, else my skills would have grown dull," he said as the two began circling.

Silas's optics narrowed, "A challenge? I think you mean slaughter!" he bellowed and surged forward, firing as he did. Starscream deflected each bolt with his blade, moving in time to lock blades with Silas.

The two held position for several seconds before breaking apart. Silas shifted his other arm to a blade as well and sliced at his midsection. Starscream reacted accordingly, blocking the blow with his sword. He stepped back and let the blade pass by.

Before Silas could attack further, Starscream slashed at his chest. The duplicate of Prime stumbled back as a shallow but long cut appeared on his chest. Energon leaked faintly from the wound, but besides that he seemed uninjured.

Silas let out a laugh, "This form possesses no form of pain, what makes you think that this scratch will stop me?" he demanded.

"You act as if that gives you an advantage," Starscream said holding his blade out to the side, "All it truly does is make you careless!" he cried and charged forward.

He leapt up and fell towards the false Prime, blade held overhead. The two blades collided midair, and the two began to exchange blows as Arcee's leg finally started back up. She stood up and activated her blasters, firing at Silas's exposed side. The two pressed against him, slowly gaining the advantage over him.

Starscream slashed at his helm, aiming to decapitate him. Silas grabbed the blade with a servo and glared at the former con. There was a sickening crunch as Silas punched him in his partly healed wound on his chest. He let go of his blade as a cry of pain escaped him.

Before he could recover, Silas slammed his fist into his face, and the seeker flew back into a silo. He slid down temporarily offline, his optics dimmed.

"Starscream!" Arcee cried, only to receive a blow to her head as well. She fell to the ground, her optics dimming as Silas slowly walked away. She looked towards the seeker and grimaced. His chest was partly caved from the blow. Her last thought as she faded was that she wished she had given him more of a chance…

_Optimus and Voidwalker…_

Optimus and Void walked through the facility silently. They had hear the brief sounds of combat several times earlier, and now they were on high alert. Optimus had his blasters armed and Void had hers readied as well.

They didn't have to wait too long, soon they entered a clearing to see a lone figure standing there… Nemesis Prime. His arms hung by his side, and his sick yellow optics glared at the two bots.

"Another new Autobot," Silas said in wonder, "My Optimus, your recruitment has skyrocketed, hasn't it?" he asked mockingly.

"The deception ends here Silas!" Optimus declared, raising his blasters at the imposter.

Silas shook his head, "I'm afraid not Optimus, I fear this is only the beginning!" he declared. Several sets of footsteps could be heard, and the two's optics widened in shock.

Duplicates of every original member of Team Prime walked out of the shadows… And one of Breakdown, optics intact. Silas let out a cold laugh at the twos shock.

"Really Optimus? Is this so shocking? Did you really believe that we would have built just _one _duplicate? I'll admit your new members had us worried, but they couldn't even handle one!" he mocked before his voice returned to its calm.

He pointed at Void and Optimus, "End them," he ordered.

Breakdown and Bulkheads duplicates charged Optimus, while Arcee and Bee's attacked Voidwalker. The two split up, and engaged the duplicates in the fights for their lives. Optimus switched to his blades as the duplicates used their mace's and clubs to reduce the ground where he _was _standing to rubble.

Optimus kicked out with his pede, knocking the duplicate of Breakdown back. He slashed at the Bulkhead duplicate, leaving a gash in its chest. Small amounts of Energon dripped from the wound, but it remained unaffected. It resumed its attack, pounding Optimus with multiple blows from its maces.

The Prime shifted his blades back to his servos and gripped the maces in both servos. He held both its arms apart and kicked it back. It stumbled back only for the Breakdown clone to attack. It swung at him with his hammer, knocking him back. Optimus landed and rolled backwards, his pedes pressing against a silo.

He shifted his servo to a blade and pushed off the silo towards the clone. He stabbed forward with his blade, taking it right in the wrist joint. There was a shriek of metal as its entire hammer came off, and Optimus leapt over it, grabbing its head. He pulled its head back, and with a tug, tore the entire clones head off.

Sparks and Energon went shooting everywhere as the clone shut off. Its body slowly fell forward before landing with a heavy thud. It twitched once, and no more. Optimus dropped its decapitated head, only to get bashed in the battle mask by Bulkheads clone.

Void leapt backwards as the Arcee clone slashed at her midsection with its arm blades. She let loose a volley of blaster bolts at the clone, only two hitting and reflecting of its armor. She switched to melee weapons in time to slash at the Bumblebee clone who had been flanking her.

A small gash now traveled up its faceplate, but besides that it was unharmed. She dodged under another attack from the Arcee clone, and kicked up at the Bee clone. The clone flew backwards, crashing on its back. The Arcee clone leapt into the air, blasters armed and fired at Void.

A few shots bounced off her armor, but she evaded the blasts the best she could. She ran to the side, only for the clone to stop her, slashing at her midsection again. This time void let out a small cry of pain as the blow barely pierced her armor. A small amount Energon oozed from the wound, but the pain was minimal.

Void gripped the clones arm as it struck, and twisted it. Shifting to her smaller wrist mounted blades, Void stabbed the Arcee clone in its midsection. The clone ignored the blow and Energon leak, kicking up with its leg. Void released the arm, only to get kicked in the faceplate.

She fell back and quickly rolled to her feet, blade extended. There was a loud crunch as the clone unintentionally stabbed itself on the blade through the spark. Energy and Energon spurted from the wound, and the yellow optics of the clone started to fade. Void activated her other sword and swept it across the Arcee clones neck.

There was a thud as it fell to the ground and rolled across the floor. The body slowly slid off the blade and landed with a small crash onto the ground. Voidwalker vented and stood up, only to have an arm grip her braid and yank her around.

She looked at the offender, Silas and stared defiantly into his yellow optics, "Odd, even Optimus doesn't hide his face under a full mask," he said.

"Let's find out what's under that mask, shall we?" he said and reached forward. Void slashed at him with her slightly clawed hands, but the Bee clone wrapped its arms around her, holding her in place. Optimus couldn't help, the Bulkhead clone was holding its own against him.

Right as Silas was about to rip her mask off, a small tapping noise could be heard on the back of his helm. His head stood up and he looked to the source of the noise. Jack floated at optic level, and the surprise was evident on the clones faceplate.

"Hey Silas, remember me?" he growled. Before the man could respond, Jack reared back and punched him in the faceplate. The clone flew over Void, who stabbed the Bee clone in the side, forcing it to let go.

Jack flew after Silas, who tried punching the flying teen. Jack stopped the fist mid punch, holding it in place. He tried crushing him with his other fist, but Jack had learned from Voids little lesson and anticipated the move. He let the other fist go and flew up, letting the metal servos crash together with a loud clang.

Jack fell back to Silas, his hands raised over his head, and slammed it down on the imposters head. There was a small crunch as the head dented from the blow, and he fell forward. Jack landed in front of him, and Silas tried slamming a closed fist on him.

The teen dodged the blow, and kicked him in the faceplate. Silas whipped back, and Jack kicked his legs out from under him. He fell on his side, and Jack grabbed hold of his arm. Straining as hard as he could, there was a low crack and pop before the entire arm was torn from its socket.

Silas rocked back and got to his pedes, only for Jack to knock him across the facility again. He crashed into a large cluster of pipes, stunned briefly. Fighting something as small and strong as Jack wasn't easy, especially for one with little experience in the act.

He got to his pedes again and saw the unconscious form of Arcee. He grabbed her by the neck and held her up as Jack shot towards him.

"Come any closer and she dies!" he threatened, and Jack came to a screeching stop.

Optimus and Void stopped as well, their respective clones defeated. Jack glared at the avatar that Silas was using, his eyes glowing a deep burning red. Silas let out a chuckle.

"Now, you are going to lay down your weapons and surrender, or this Autobot dies," Silas stated.

Jack let out a growl, but slowly, he and the others complied," Excellent, now the-" he never finished his sentence, a bright red blade shot out of his chest.

Silas looked down at the vibrant red blade sticking out of his chest, Energon coating it, "You will do no such thing," a gravelly voice ordered. With a sickening slide, the blade slowly slid out of his chest and Starscream stepped in front of the imposter.

He held a servo over his spark chamber, but seemed relatively unharmed despite it. He took Arcee out of his servo, carrying her bridal style. Slowly, the yellow optics of Nemesis Prime flickered… and died. With a low creaking sound, the mech fell back and crashed into the ground, all but dead…

_Autobot HQ…_

Everyone sat in the med bay, Ratchet hard at work repairing their injuries. After the defeat of Team Anti-Prime as Miko had named them, the others had been found and returned to Base. Most of their injuries were non-lethal, except Starscream's, whose wound had to be repaired first.

Now though, everyone was conscious and repaired, rubbing their helms in pain as they remembered what happened.

" So…how weird was it to have someone who looked _exactly_ like Optimus kicking the scrap out of you?" Miko asked.

Bulkhead groaned in pain at the memory.

"That's a sight _I_won't soon forget," Arcee muttered.

"The question remains," Optimus replied as Ratchet finished welding the stab wound in the elder Prime's side, "whether MECH will continue to function as we know it,"

"Here's the kicker, we shifted through the entirety of the base and found no sign of a MECH base," Fowler informed them.

"So that means…" Arcee started.

"That it was a trap," Jack said.

"And that MECH will continue their attempts to steal Cybertronian tech," he looked at Jack, "Or turn their attention to more fruitful endeavors,"

The base fell silent at this idea and shortly after most of the bots and kids retired to sleep. Jack headed to his and Arcee's shared quarters, his partner not far behind him.

She stopped by Starscream, who was making a habit of leaning against the wall, "I know it doesn't mean much… but thanks," she said quickly before stalking forward.

Starscream smiled, "It was my pleasure," he said softly…

_MECH Base…_

Silas let out an irritated yell at his assembled staff, "Weeks of planning down the drain in a single day!" he yelled.

"And all because of the Autobots," he ranted, his staff simply nodding. There was no reasoning with Silas at this stage in his rant.

"With this failure, all our supporters will retract their funding. We promised them results and we failed!" he screamed.

"Not all your supporters," a cool dark voice said from a darkened corner of the room.

Silas turned to the mysterious voice, "Who said that, who are you," he narrowed his eyes," and how did you get in here,"

"Relax Silas," the voice, which clearly belonged to a man, said," Let's just say I have been in support of MECH for a very long time, and recognize the potential of this project,"

"What are you talking about, I know who all our supporters are, you aren't one of them," Silas said.

There was a tsking noise from the darkness, and the man stepped forward slightly, only exposing part of him. He wore an orange metallic mask , his blue eye exposed. The other half of his face and most of his body was hidden in the shadow out of sight.

"Who do you think has been providing your spies with all your information? The DINGUS, the fuel source of the Cybertronians, the Energon mines?" he asked.

"That was you?" Silas asked suspiciously.

The man chuckled, "Yes, but now seeing as I will likely be your only supporter soon, I have a new task for you,"

"And that is?"

He pressed a small switch, and flung an orange device onto the table. A hologram popped up with a picture of Jack frozen in the center.

"I want you to focus all efforts on capturing and learning all you can about Jack Darby," he answered.

Silas looked at the hologram, "And what do we get in return?" he asked.

"All the money and resources you need Silas," he answered, and faded into the dark.

"Wait, who are you, how do we contact you?" Silas asked.

Another orange device landed on the table. It would fit into a person's palm, and glinted under the light. Emblazoned on the surface, was an angular silver S.

**A/N: So…how many people did I shock? Any guesses on the DC villain? What did you think of the chapter? All these questions and more you can answer below in the review box. As for plot ideas or questions, you know the drill, PM me! Also, heads up with school starting soon my updates may decrease exponentially to every friday and monday. I'll see what happens though. Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Titans

_Autobot HQ…_

The door opened with a silent hiss, and the pitch black form of Voidwalker entered her quarters. She held a servo to her side, ignoring the protests of pain. Her fight with team Anti-Prime had injured her, but she refused to let Ratchet look at her wound this time.

Voidwalker sat on her berth and hissed as she eased major piece of her stomach armor, Energon oozed forth. She inhaled sharply and pressed her servo to the wound, inciting another flare of pain.

Getting run through by Dreadwing had done her no favors and when Arcee's clone hit her, it reopened the wound. She touched the scared area around it, bare wires instead of golden skin twitched under her fingers.

The area was sensitive, but besides that the wound would eventually heal on its own. Her modifications would make sure of it. But in the mean time…

She scooted back on her berth and laid slowly down, her injured side flaring in protest. Primus it hurt. Recharge would help speed the process, she willed stasis lock onto her form. There was no reason for her to naturally enter recharge, the nightmares would not help her heal…

_The next day…_

The base was almost silent as Jack and Arcee enjoyed each other's company. Optimus and the others had gone on an Energon raid while Voidwalker and Kara went out doing Primus knows what. The two had become very good friends with Void almost acting like an older sister to the Kryptonian teen.

Ratchet was the only other bot in base at the moment, and unfortunately that meant the two couldn't be more intimate. The medic was worse than anyone else in base when it came to commenting on their relationship. Bee, Bulkhead, and Starscream simply accepted it for what it was.

Optimus encouraged their relationship, as did Void the few times she chose to comment on it. But Ratchet was, well, Ratchet. Every chance he got he would make sure the two were broken up or busy. Jack should have figured, the old bot was set in his ways. But at least he never vocally said anything.

But at the moment the medic was looking at his terminal, searching for more MECH or con activity. After the incident with Nemesis Prime, surveillance for Team Prime duplicates had increased with little luck. For now.

The terminal beeped and Fowlers face appeared on screen, "Ratchet, we got cons attacking a military outpost outside of Jump City," he stated.

"For what purpose?" Ratchet asked.

"We're not sure, there isn't anything of use to them there, but that doesn't matter. Point is we need help here," Fowler said.

Jack and Arcee got up, "Ratchet open a bridge, Arcee and I can handle the cons," Jack said confidently.

The medic nodded and began inputting the coordinates into the bridge while Arcee reverted herself to full size. The bridge swirled open and Jack flew off the platform next to his partner.

"Ready?" he asked.

She smirked, "Aren't I always?"

_Military Base…_

Jack and Arcee exited the bridge which swirled shut behind them. They looked over the base to see over two dozen cons scattered across the base. Oddly enough though, there was no sign of any leader. At the mines this made sense, but assaults normally had Dreadwing, Starscream, or Knockout leading them.

In this case though, only the Vehicons were there, firing at hangars and roadways and the occasional human who'd yet to evacuate. The Vehicons turned to look at the two and stopped their assault. The two sides watched each other for several seconds, neither one moving.

Then all hell broke loose.

Arcee unsheathed her blades and charged into the cons, Jack flying up to get a better vantage point. He saw several cons attacking a hangar with several soldiers trying and failing to fight them off. Most human weapons were useless against cons unless there joints were attacked and even then…

He shook his head and shot forward, slamming into one con. The con stumbled back only to lose its head as Jack uppercut it off its neck joint. Vehicons were delicate, simple as that. If he did that to an actual Cybertronian they'd go flying back. That said, the remaining Vehicons were screwed.

He shot towards another one, roundhouse kicking it in the side. There was a loud crunch as its armor gave way and Energon leaked from the plating. He flew up and slammed down on the con, crushing its helm under his fists.

A blast deflected off him as the last con tried firing at him. Jack flew forwards and gripped its arm before pulling. There was a loud tearing sound as its arm came loose and he sent it flying away. Energon spilled from the stump of its shoulder and the drone stared at its missing arm dumbly.

Until Jack shot a beam of heat vision through its helm, offlining it. The large drone fell backwards, crashing into the ground with a thud. Jack landed next to the dead con and frowned. Even by normal con standards this was too easy, Jack could hear Arcee finishing off the other cons at the moment.

Question was, where was the ringmaster? The answer to his question came in the form of a loud hissing sound followed by a thick sticky substance slamming Jack against a wall. He grunted as he hit the wall with a loud thud, and looked at said substances.

It was a thick grey… webbing. Jacks eyes widened in horror. There was _no _way that his luck could be that bad. No way.

"Hello Jack," the seductive voice of Airachnid cooed as she climbed down from the ceiling. It was that bad.

The spider-femme climbed down from the ceiling, her long spider legs clinking quietly against the concrete flooring. Jack struggled against the webbing, only to find it was much stronger than he remembered. Even so, Airachnid launched another stream of the sticky stuff at him pinning him in place even further.

"I wouldn't bother struggling my little Jack," she said kneeling in front of him with a coy smile, "I've created a new formula for my webbing. Even _you _would have some trouble breaking free of it without enough time,"

She chuckled sadistically, "And that time is running out, my reinforcements have arrived to keep Arcee busy,"

Jack glared at her, "If you're going to kill me, get it over with Airachnid," he growled.

An offended look crossed the spider-femmes faceplate, "Jack, I'm hurt. What on Earth made you think I intended to kill you?" she asked innocently.

"Chasing me in the forest and coming after my family are two good reasons," Jack growled.

Airachnid waved a dismissive feature as she crawled up the side of the wall until she was staring at him upside down, "Maybe at first I wanted to kill you Jack," she hissed before her features became softer. Or as soft as a psychotic spider-femmes features could be.

"But after our last encounter, I'll admit I find you quiet…" she paused for a moment before smiling and exposing her fanged denta, "Attractive,"

Jack closed his mouth as he gagged, "Your disgusting!" he accused.

She shrugged, "Maybe, but that doesn't matter. Once I take you back to the Nemesis, Megatron will greatly reward me. And maybe I'll be able to keep you," she said rather cheerfully.

Jack renewed his struggles against the webbing, using his heat vision to cut through the webbing. There was another hiss as she entrapped his eyes in the webbing and made a tsking noise.

"We'll have none of that now will we Jack. If you keep struggling, " she shot another shot of webbing at him, sealing over the damage he'd caused to it, "I'll have to kill Arcee, and you wouldn't want that, now would you?"

Jack looked through the webbing covering his eyes and glared at the wall-crawler, though she didn't know. He wanted to end her so badly right now, but he was trapped and she would see his heat vision coming. Right now he was trapped until Arcee broke through the Vehicons… Or so he thought.

There was a loud boom against Airachnid's side, knocking her from the wall onto her back, "Titans, go!" a young but gravelly voice ordered.

Airachnid got up to her spider legs and hissed at her attackers. She fired off several blasts at them, when a barrage of green orbs slammed into her, exploding against her chassis. She snarled and swiped the smoke away, looking for her assailant.

She turned around only to run smack dab into a 25 foot tall green T Rex. She looked up at the giant green creature in shock, before it roared at her, causing her to stumble back. She quickly regained her composure and fired several violet Energon blasts at the beast, only for a shield of black energy to block the blasts.

Airachnid narrowed her optics, "What is this!?" she demanded.

Her answer came in the form of a powerful sonic blast slamming into her side knocking her back, "Booyah!" an excited voice yelled in triumphant, "Take that spider bot!"

Jack heard someone land in front of him and rip the webbing off his eyes. He let out a hiss of pain as it tore at some of his hair before blinking, "Thanks miss…" he trailed off at the site before him.

His rescuer was a teenage girl, but one he'd _never _seen before. Her skin was an odd shade of orange, highlighting with the purple outfit she wore. A purple skin tight shirt that stopped above her midsection, a purple skirt, and boots along with silver gloves that didn't cover her fingers, and a silver collar. A greenish black stone adorned the collar and gloves.

Her eyes were the oddest part, a bright emerald green. And not just green irises, but even the whites of her eyes were green. All in all, one look at her screamed non human. Jack wasn't exactly sure what to say, when the girl said it for him.

"I am glad to have been of service. My name is Starfire, yours?" she asked.

"Ugh… Jack," he answered, "Can you let me down from here now, Airachnid's going to tear this place apart if I don't stop her," Jack said when a loud explosion caught their attention.

He turned to look and was shocked by what he saw. A group of four teens were fighting the spider femme. They weren't winning, but they certainly weren't losing either.

The biggest of the four, was an African American teen covered from head to toe in cybernetics. His shoulders, forearms, shins, and parts of his face, were covered in blue circuitry with glass covering it. His torso was silver and white, with the midsections colored black. Most of his body had this coloration, and part of his face was covered in cybernetics, giving him a red eye.

He was big, bigger than Jack almost 7 feet tall. His whole body appeared muscular, and one of his arms were shifted into a cannon of some sorts. He leapt back to avoid Airachnids blast and fired, a stream of blue sonic Energon knocking her back again.

The next oddest of the group was a teen slightly shorter than Miko. He wore a black jumpsuit with a purple stripe going down the middle and a belt across his waist. He wore a pair of sneakers, but that wasn't the oddest part.

His hair and skin were both green, and his ears were pointed. His teeth also were pointed slightly. To Jacks shock, he revealed his oddest feature when his whole body grew into a T Rex and roared at Airachnid, charging her.

The spider-femme knocked him away with one of her legs, causing him to de-morph. He hit the ground with a hard thud and rolled across the floor, dazed but unharmed.

Next was a girl with pale grey skin. She wore a blue cloak with the hood up obscuring her face from view. A pendant with a raven emblazoned on it held it on her shoulders. She wore a black leotard that covered her entire body, but left her legs exposed. She wore a golden belt with circular blackish red stones embedded in it.

Her eyes burned black as black energy encased her hands and two large crates on either side of Airachnid, "Azaroth, Metrione Zynthos!" she cried and the two crates slammed into the spider bot.

It was to no avail though, as Airachnid easily flung the containers apart, knocking the girl back. The last member of the team fired some sort of grappling hook and leapt off the crate he was on, catching the girl in midair.

He landed on the ground and set her on her feet, looking back at Airachnid. He was slightly taller than the green teen, and had a set of black spiky hair offsetting his paler white skin. He wore a black cape that was yellow underneath, and wore a dark red shirt with an R stitched onto the side.

He wore green pants and steel toed boots, his sleeves and gloves colored green as well. He wore a yellow utility belt, which he pulled three disc shaped objects out of, holding them between his fingers. He tossed the disks forward, which exploded against Airachnids frame.

There was no damage from them though, and the femme snarled swiping her leg out and catching both the boy and girl off their feet.

"Robin!" the alien girl called Starfire cried. She went to go and fly after her friend when Jack called her back.

"Wait, Starfire, help me get this webbing off, I can help you take Airachnid down," he insisted.

Starfire looked from her team to Jack and back, "I'm a lot stronger than I look, trust me you'll need the help," he said.

Starfire looked back at the others again before sighing. She raised an arm, and a green ball of energy formed around her hand. With a sudden blast, it collided with the webbing, burning a good chunk of it away.

Jack tore what remained off him and got off the wall looking to Starfire, "Thanks," he said before swiftly shooting towards Airachnid.

There was a loud crash as Jack knocked the spider-femme through a wall, causing her to roll across the ground. She quickly got to her feet and swiped at Jack with one of her extra legs. The result though, was Jack holding the leg in place.

With a slight grunt, Jack twisted and flung Airachnid over the hangar, shooting after her as he did. He slammed his fists on her midsection, and watched her plummet to the ground fast. There was a loud boom as she left a crater in the ground and leaked Energon from her wounds.

Arcee by now had finished off the remaining Vehicons and had turned her attention to Airachnid, firing at her. The spider-femme quickly got up and called for a bridge as Jack, Arcee, and this group of super-powered teens charged towards her.

The bridge swirled to life and the femme leapt through, right as Arcee's blade missed, slamming into the ground. She pulled it free and let out an angry yell as Airachnid escaped her grasp again. Jack landed next to her and placed a hand on her arm.

Arcee looked at him, "Sorry I didn't have your back there partner," she said softly.

Jack smiled, "I'm fine Arcee, had a little help," he said pointing to the teens who were looking at the femme in shock.

"Ugh, did we miss something while we were gone?" the green one asked, his voice was somewhat high pitched and scratchy.

Jack looked at them, "I could say the same for you, who exactly are you five?" he asked.

The only normal looking one, the one in red stepped forwards, "We're the Teen Titans. I'm Robin, and this is Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire," he said introducing each of his teams members.

Jack narrowed his eyes for a moment before realization passed over his face, "Now I remember!" he said excitedly, "You're the group of super-powered teens who live in Jump city!"

Arcee looked at him confused, "You know about them?" she asked, confused.

Jack nodded, "Rumors and stuff at home, but never paid that much attention to them," he admitted.

"Not that your enthusiasm isn't _thrilling_, but exactly what were those things?" the one called Rave asked with a hint of dead sarcasm. Her emotionless voice made Voidwalker sound cheerful.

Robin interrupted Jack before he could respond, "Perhaps it'd be best if we discussed this back at the tower," he suggested.

"The tower?" Jack and Arcee asked in unison.

"Just follow us, we'll take you there," Robin said and nodded to Cyborg.

He pressed a button on his forearm and the squeal of tires could be heard. A white and blue car came squealing around the corner and stopped in front of the Titans. Jack let out a whistle.

"Nice car," he commented, receiving an indignant grunt from Arcee, "Present company excluded," he whispered.

Cyborg grinned widely and hopped into the driver's seat, "Thanks man, put my heart and soul into her, now come on ya'll BB still owes me a rematch!"

"Dude, I won fair and square, let it go!" Beastboy shot back as he and the others got in.

Cyborg stuck his head out the window, "Dude, don't you have a ride?" he asked.

In answer to his question, Arcee transformed to motorcycle mode and revved her engine…loudly, "That answer your question?" she asked rather smugly.

Cyborg blinked a few times, "Oh," he said sheepishly and ducked back in.

Jack got onto Arcee, and the Titans took off, Arcee and Jack tailing behind them easily, "Shouldn't we contact Ratchet and let him know where heading off?" Jack asked.

"Already did while you were making friends," Arcee replied simply.

Jack looked at her confused, "You alright Arcee, you sound upset about something,"

Arcee flicked a mirror at him before sighing, "Truthfully Jack, I'm a little reluctant to go with them," she admitted.

Jack raised a brow confused, "Why, they helped save me?" he pointed out.

"I don't know, but something tells me that if we go after them… I might lose you for a while," she said softly…

_Titan Tower…_

Jack gaped at the large tower as he and Arcee came to a stop next to the Titan's car. It was huge, easily twice as big as the Autobot base. It had large blue windows covering the face, and was shaped in a giant T. It was also built on an island in the middle of the harbor over-looking the city.

"Not exactly inconspicuous is it?" Arcee asked from vehicle mode.

The Titans couldn't hear her, they were still in the vehicle. Though Jack had to wonder, how did they get out from the base if they had driven? They couldn't have ground bridge tech, could they?

In answer to his unasked question, a low hiss was heard from their car, and it lifted off the ground. Its wheels folded in, and it floated a good five or six inches off the ground before taking off towards the base. Jack got off Arcee and watched them go as she transformed.

"Huh, they have hover tech," she said.

Jack looked to her, "So should I carry you across or?"

Arcee smiled down at him, "This should help," she said and pointed at her waist. It was then that Jack noticed a belt like device strapped around her waist with a familiar button on it.

"Is that?"

"The mass-shifter," Arcee finished, "It is, I had Ratchet convert the second one into a belt based device. It only can shrink me to my human size or normal size and can't be adjusted, but,  
she shrugged, "Don't need to be much bigger or smaller,"

With that she pressed the button and shrank down to her standard 6 foot 5 height and lifted her arms, "Well, let's get a move on," she said with a grin.

Jack lifted her bridal style and shot off after the Titans who were half way across the bay. He quickly flew up next to them, and saw that Cyborg had a smug grin on his face. Clearly he thought he'd impressed Jack with his car's abilities.

He had, but he wouldn't let him know that…yet. He flew up next to the car, and Arcee tapped on the window. Cyborg looked to the side, and his jaw dropped as Jack and Arcee innocently waved before shooting ahead of them.

Several minutes later, the Titans pulled up onto the island were Jack and Arcee were waiting, the latter having returned to normal size. A door in the side of the tower opened up and they pulled in, the couple following after them.

The garage was a fairly tall section of the tower, large enough to hold Optimus in it with ease. Tools and parts were scattered everywhere, and several platforms dotted the area. Their car was parked on one such platform, where the Titans got out.

They all looked at Jack and Arcee expectedly. Beastboy opened his mouth to start to speak, but Raven slapped a hand over his mouth, "Not a word Beastboy," she warned. He visibly deflated.

"So now that we're here, exactly _what _did you want to know?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

"For one, what the heck is she!?" Beastboy said pointing at Arcee and ignoring Ravens warning.

Arcee raised an optic ridge, "Where have you five been the past month?" she asked.

"Deep space mission, we just got back yesterday," Robin answered.

"You have FTL capabilities?" Arcee asked surprise, "I thought humans hadn't achieved that step yet,"

"I don't mean to brag or nothin'," Cyborg said stretching his arms behind him, "But I'm a bit of a mechanical genius,"

"Anyway," Robin continued, "Beastboy has a point, what are you, and what were those things attacking that military base?"

"Decepticons," Arcee answered," That's what was attacking that base. They're a faction of scum that have been fighting the Autobots, my faction, for eons,"

"Whoa," Beastboy and Cyborg said in unison.

"So why are you here?" Starfire asked flying up to optic level, "Is it because you are stuck here? Do you wish for human help? Or are you just passing by?" she began to ask questions faster than Miko, and Arcee held up a servo to stop her.

"We're here because the Decepticons are here. Without us they would have conquered Earth years ago," she paused, "We're also here because our home world, Cybertron, died from the war. It can't support us anymore,"

"But if your home can't support you, how can Earth?" Robin asked.

"During the war we sent caches of Energon, our fuel, to various planets. Earth was one of them and the mineral has started to grow and form here," Arcee explained.

"It's a very long story," Jack summed up when he saw the questioning looks on their faces.

"So why are you involved in it?" Raven asked him.

Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Sorta an accident, saw the bots when they were still a secret and was brought to base to keep me and my family safe,"

"Didn't look like you needed that much protection while you were kicking the spider-bots but," Cyborg commented.

"I didn't do a lot of fighting before I met the bots, but being Kryptonian and all, I'm stronger and tougher than most of them. Even if I did stay hidden till about a month ago," Jack explained.

"You are Kryptonian?" Starfire asked.

"One of the last, why?" Jack replied.

"I heard stories of a race known as the Kryptonians on Tamaran, stories of an intelligent people who once traveled the stars," she explained, "Tell me, do they still explore the stars?" she asked eagerly.

Jacks face fell, "No, Krypton's golden age passed thousands of years ago. Our home world is nothing but a barren asteroid field, me and my sister are the last living Kryptonians," he answered.

"Oh," Starfire said, drooping, "I apologize, I did not mean to insult," she said.

Jack smiled slightly, "It's fine, you didn't know. Heck I didn't know until a few months ago. All I knew was that I wasn't human. Long story how I found out,"

"So if you're an alien," Beastboy started out carefully, "Does that mean you have all other kinds of superpowers!?" he asked excitedly.

Jack was about to answer, before an alarm rang through the tower. He covered his ears as it caught him off guard, "What is that!?" he demanded.

Cyborg lifted his arm up to check and looked at Robin, "It's Slade,"

_Unknown Location…_

He watched the screens as his henchmen began carrying supplies out of the warehouse. He had no need of them, but it was necessary to draw the Titans, and more importantly, their new friend Jack Darby into the open.

He knew that his plan would never work if Jack had not met the Titans. It was a stroke of good fortune that the Decepticons had attacked so close to the city, soon to be _his _city. But of course, he had a single obstacle to remove.

Right on cue, several explosions ripped through his robotic henchmen as the Titans attacked, lead by Robin. The boy was so much like him, yet refused to embrace the similarities. His attempts to make him had failed, he had his chance as his apprentice and rejected his offer.

But Jack… Jack was different, always had been. He'd watched the teen for some time now, watching him grow more and more powerful. He would either prove to be a powerful ally, or an unstoppable enemy.

Regardless, it was time to set his plan into motion…

_Warehouse, Jump City…_

Jack tossed the limp form of a robotic henchmen at a wall, watching it shatter as he did. He had to admit, these things were pretty advanced, almost Cybertronian in nature, though he saw no sign of Energon leaking from them.

They were mostly covered in black armor, with silver, gloves, boots and a belt as well as orange circles on their faces. A silver collar covered their necks, and they lacked any sort of visible eyes outside the white holes on their blank masks. They were somewhat creepy, but not very tough.

In proof of this concept, Jack kicked ones head clean off, the body falling to the ground limp. Though the titans had slightly more difficulty than him, it was obvious that this Slade built the robots to be expendable, not dependable.

Arcee knocked several of them away with a simple swipe of a servo, the robots were no match for her. Jack didn't have time to watch her fight though, two of them had leapt at him. He narrowed his eyes his heat vision cutting the robots cleanly in two.

He blinked a few times to shut his heat vision off, and looked around and saw that the rest of the robots were taken care of. They rested across the ground in pieces, arms, legs, and heads lying everywhere.

Arcee and Jack made their way to the Titans who had handled the rest of the bots. Beastboy had shifted back to his human form and was currently picking out bits of metal out of his teeth. Robin and Cyborg were examining the wreckage for something.

"Man, even for Slades Hench-bots that was easy!" Beastboy exclaimed confidently.

"A little too easy," Robin said kneeling next to a relatively intact Hench-bot.

Arcee kneeled to be on a better level with the Titans, "Maybe this Slade wasn't expecting a Kryptonian and Cybertronian to help you out," she suggested.

Robin placed a hand under his chin as he thought, "Even so, Slade isn't one to take chances, this isn't like-" he was cut off as the Hench-bot suddenly shot to its feet.

Moving before anyone could react, it flung a disc shaped object at Arcee's midsection. There was a clang as it stuck to her side and several small claws stuck into it. She let out a yelp of pain and ripped the device off, flinging it away right as it detonated.

Jack on the others hand moved forwards fast and slammed a fist through the Hench-bots chest. Wires sparked and the bot spasm as its energy drained and it fell off Jacks fist offline.

"Arcee, are you okay?" he asked hurriedly.

The femme rolled her optics, "Jack I'm fine, it's just a bit of scratched finish, nothing you or I can't fix," she answered simply.

"You're sure?" Jack asked worried.

"Jeez man, calm down, pretty sure the girl knows if she's fine or not," Cyborg said calming the boy slightly.

"Yeah, your acting like she's your girlfriend or something," Beastboy said, receiving a slap upside the head from Raven.

"Ow, what was that for, I was only kidding," he said indignantly rubbing the back of his head.

"Well you weren't far of Beastboy, Arcee _is _my girlfriend," Jack admitted with a slight hint of pride. He'd gotten over his embarrassment over their relationship after their first date.

Robin, Cyborg, and Beast boy's jaws dropped in unison at this while Starfire giggled at their shock and Jack could have sworn he saw a faint smile on Ravens face. Before the male members of the team could barrage him with questions though, the sound of a recording flicking on caught their attention.

The group turned towards the sound and saw the "mask" on one of the robots fall off its face. What was revealed underneath was a small video screen and speaker. It was flickering slightly, but the picture was clear enough.

The video showed a man dressed very similar to the robots. His body was covered in black armor that looked similar to Kevlar if one looked close enough. He wore silver and black gauntlets, a silver belt and midsection, and two silver pieces of armor that were bolted to his suit on his upper arms. A silver collar was also bolted to his upper body.

But the mask was the most defining feature of this man's dress. One side was all black with no sign of even an eyehole. The other was bright metallic orange with a single eyehole with a blue eye looking through. Four vents lined the bottom of the mask, creating a skull like appearance on his mask.

"Slade," Robin growled.

"Hello Robin," Slade responded. His voice was slick and cold, hinting at a level of sophistication and intelligence that made Zod and Megatron sound like Neanderthals.

"What do you want?" Robin demanded.

"Calm yourself Robin, anger won't get you anywhere. I simply wished to challenge the Titans once again. A game if you will," Slade answered simply, his voice never falling or rising in pitch.

"We're not playing any of your 'games' Slade," Robin growled.

"Oh you will Robin, if you want the city to stay above sea level," Slade stated.

Everyone looked at the screen with rapt attention, "You see, I have placed seven bombs at key points throughout the city. If more than three manage to detonate, the city will flood,"

"Why tell us this?" Starfire asked.

"It's Slade, there's more to this than he's letting on," Robin answered, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Very good Robin," Slade praised, "But I'm afraid that you'll have to figure that out yourself," he said and the screen flicked off. A set of coordinates for each bomb appeared on the screen flashing.

"Titans, we have to disable these bombs, we can figure out Slades plans later," Robin said and looked to Jack and Arcee, "Don't suppose you'd want to lend a hand?" he asked.

Jack smiled, "Not a problem, I'll take the one on the outskirts, I'm faster than anyone else here," he said lifting into the air.

Robin nodded, "I'll handle the one closest, Beastboy, you and Cyborg get the two along the docks, Raven you handle the ones near the damn, Starfire, get the one in the sewer system,"

"I'll handle the one at the dikes," Arcee stated.

"Before you go, take this," Robin said and tossed something to Jack. He looked at the small yellow device in his hands with a white T emblazoned on it.

"It's a communicator, it'll help us stay in touch," he explained.

Jack nodded, "Thanks," and slipped the device into his belt. With a slight whoosh, he took off into the air towards the location of the farthest bomb…

_Bomb Location…_

Jack slammed the door down with ease as he walked into the large abandoned factory. Light filtered in through the windows casting eerie shadows over the abandoned factory equipment. Cobwebs and dust coated the building, adding to the sense of age.

Jack took several steps forward before he felt his foot trip a wire. The whole building rumbled and Jack turned back towards the door. He tried moving to it, only for a large metal door to slide into place, coated with lead. The same could be said of the windows and the entire place was consumed by the dark.

Jack sighed, "Nice one Darby, you walked right into a trap," he muttered.

He shrugged, "Well, I could leave… Or spring the rest of it and stop this bomb," he said to himself, and started forward.

His footsteps echoed against the concrete floor, the only sound to accompany him in the darkness. His X-ray vision was useless, these lead doors blocked his vision into the outside world. He mentally kicked himself for not using it _before _he flew in. But it was too late to do anything about it now.

The sound of footsteps from above caught his attention, and he looked up at a walkway above, "Who's there?" he demanded.

He received no answer at first, "Whoever you are, show yourself," he ordered.

There was a slight flicking sound and suddenly several ancient light bulbs flickered on weakly. They only illuminated several choice spots including the platform above. Feet tapped against the metal as the figure walked into the spotlight.

"Hello, Jack," Slade said calmly.

Jack immediately tensed, "Slade," he growled. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed the perfect way to greet him.

Jacks eyes widened as a he realized something, "How do you know my name? We have _never_ met," he stated.

"I know a lot about you Jack," Slade explained, "I've known about you for a long time, I've been watching and waiting silently, I'll admit your fighting capabilities are astounding," he praised.

"I don't need praise from you," Jack growled, "Where's the bomb,"

"Bomb? What bomb," Slade said his voice suggested he was smiling behind his mask, "My dear boy, haven't you figured it out yet? This was all a trap set for you,"

Jack scowled and shot towards the platform, floating above Slade, who stepped back slightly, "You are one stupid human, you know that?" Jack asked.

"I think you'll find the opposite to be true," Slade said, and ran off away from the Kryptonian.

Jack flew ahead of him and stopped in front of him, "Going somewhere?" Jack asked arms crossed.

Slades response was a running roundhouse knocking Jack off the platform to the ground. The teen stopped himself in midair and flew after him, rubbing his jaw. Slade was even stronger than his muscled form suggested, he wouldn't underestimate him again.

Jack saw the criminal running along the platform still, and shot a beam of heat vision ahead of him. The metal melted with ease and there was a shriek and groan as the platform bent forward, causing him to stumble. Slade quickly regained his footing and leapt forward, rolling forward as he hit the ground and running forward without breaking a step.

"Okay, enough of this," Jack growled, and flew right into Slade. The man let out a surprised grunt as Jack tackled into him. The two crashed through a wall into a large empty room with a single light illuminating it.

Jack rolled away from Slade and got to his feet shaking himself. He looked up to see the criminal casually brushing dust from his suit, like he hadn't been thrown through a wall, but merely inconvenienced. Jack frowned, this guy was starting to get on his nerves.

"Alright Slade," Jack started, "Why did you lure me here, what do you want with me?" he demanded.

Slades one eye looked up at the boy with disregard, "As I told my _former_ apprentice, I wished to play a game of sorts. But then again I suppose a…test, would be a more fitting title," he said casually.

"A…test? You realize I could tear you in half with no effort," Jack pointed out, a minor bluff, but Slade wouldn't know that.

Slade let out a single chuckle, "Oh I am well aware Jack," his eye narrowed, "But you and I both remember how well that went over the last time you so easily killed someone. Tell me, when you killed those men, did you enjoy it?"

Jack stepped back, eyes wide with shock, "H-how did you know that?" he demanded.

Slade crossed his arms behind his back, "I told you boy, I have been watching you for some time. Since you arrived on Earth I have been watching. I knew you were special the day your first powers appeared in the first grade," he stated casually.

"You've been spying on me!?" Jack demanded angrily.

"Watching observing. If I had been spying on you I wouldn't have admitted it, now would I?" Slade asked calmly.

Jack narrowed his eyes, "I've heard enough, I don't care how much you know about me, I'm taking you in," he growled.

With that said, Jack ran forward and punched at Slade. The man dodged out of the blow to Jacks shock, and kicked him in the stomach. Jack doubled over as the breath was knocked out from him, and Slade kneed him in the face.

He stumbled back from the blow, shocked by this development. He shook his head and flew towards him this time, only for Slade to jump over him and use his chest as a springboard as Jack turned to try and grab him.

Jack slammed into the ground and rolled to his feet. The blow wasn't hard, but Jack wasn't used to fighting someone his own size. His time fighting Zod had been different, he hadn't had to hold back, same with Void and Dusk to an extent. But he didn't dare try to hard here with Slade, lest he risk killing him.

Slade cocked his head slightly to the side before striking a fighting position, "Come now Jackson, I expected more from you," he said arrogantly.

Jack ground his teeth and attack Slade with a vicious flurry of blows. Again, he was holding back significantly, but it seemed Slade didn't need it. He was easily dodging or parrying each blow with ease, until the two locked their arms against each other.

Jack began pressing forward, Slades arms slowly bending back as he applied more strength. But this wasn't right, no human no matter how strong should have been able to hold their own against him. But then he heard it, ever so subtle, but it was there. The creak and whirr of servos and electric engines.

This wasn't Slade, it was a robot!

Jack growled and ceased holding back. With a sudden increase in force, he tore both the Slade-bot's arms off, wires and pieces of metal spilling from the stumps of its shoulders. It stumbled back as Jack kicked it away.

His eyes glowed bright red, and its head was reduced to molten metal, the robot standing stock still. With a creek, it tipped backwards and crashed into the ground with a loud thud. It sputtered once, and stayed dead.

Jack sighed and tossed the disembodied arms away from him, turning to fly out of the building. He'd wasted enough time here, he needed to get back to the others.

"Going so soon?" Slade asked, and Jack whirled back at the body.

"No, not there Jack," Slade said, and a large television screen flickered to life, "Here,"

Another flicked on, "And here,"

Another, "And here,"

And another and another, until the entire room was illuminated by Slades face on television screens, "Like I said Jack, I am always watching, always waiting," the Slades said in unison.

Jack whirled between each of them, scowling, "Okay, cut the scrap Slade, what do you want!?" he demanded angrily.

"It's not what I want Jack, but what you want," Slade stated simply.

"What I want?" he asked confused.

"Of course, after all, I know how you feel about human society. You've always been the outcast, the loner, the freak. They would never accept you, and even after you saved them they reject you," Slade explained.

"So, I still have the Autobots," Jack countered.

"Ah yes the Autobots, the sentient machines that use our home as their battleground. Tell me, do you think they were ever once interested in you?" Slade asked.

Jack uncrossed his arms, "What do you mean?" he asked.

"When they first found you, you were a burden to them, a chore. Once they found out what you could do though, they used you to further their agenda. Think about it, you have fought for them ever since you returned, and have they ever once thanked you?" Slade asked.

"I… that doesn't matter, I offered to help, and Optimus doesn't try to endanger us. He looks out for our well being," Jack countered.

"But what if I told you there was a way to get the respect of the humans, and keep your friendship with the Autobots?" Slade stated.

"How are the two even linked?" Jack asked.

"Don't tell me you forgot about you and your partners trip to the mall. You had enough time fitting in as you, add her to your list and the public will never fully accept you," Slade replied.

"If you're trying to get me to join you Slade, you're not doing a great job," Jack deadpanned.

"Oh no Jack, this is not how I'm going to have you join me," Slade said, "This is,"

Several screens flickered to show the vital signs of several humans. Each one had a label that read: Miko, Raf, June. Jacks eyes widened as he took that in.

"What have you done to them!?" he demanded.

"Relax Jack, I have not done anything to them yet," Slade answered calmly, "But inside each of them is a device, a device that has connected itself to their spinal columns. It is far too small for anyone to notice or reach, but if you do not listen to me, I will activate it. Then, their own nerve impulses will be turned against, them causing a rather painful death," he explained.

"And what if I just melt your face off," Jack snarled.

"The devices are linked to my vitals. If they spike to high, like say from extreme blood loss or a combat scenario, they activate. If they drop too low, the same result," Slade replied.

"And if that isn't enough motivation…" there was a beep and a fourth name appeared: Arcee.

"No…" Jack said in horror stepping back before whirling to glare at the screens, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" he screamed.

"Nothing yet, but you recall the device my henchman used on the femme? It did in fact pierce her metal skin, and injected a series of nano-bot's that are residing in her spark. With the push of a button, I can cause her to feel excruciating pain. If it goes on long enough, it could even kill her," he stated, his voice calm yet smug.

Jacks shoulders drooped and his eyes fell, "What is it you want?" he asked.

"Simple, I give you two choices: Come after me and kill me now, but lose everyone you hold dear," he paused," or become my apprentice,"

Jack looked up at the criminal via the screen. He didn't like this, not at all, but what choice did he have? If he didn't do as Slade said, everyone he cared for minus Kara would die. Jack opened his mouth to respond…

**A/N: MWAHAHAHAHA CLIFFHANGER! Oh man, I am so EVIL! For the record, before you start pelting me with tomatoes, this idea originally belonged to Guardian of Azaroth. But besides the point, more detail will be put into the respective ransom devices next chapter. So what do you guys think though? Did anyone expect this minus those who I told or GoA? Let me know in the reviews, and PM me for plot ideas or questions! Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Reluctance

_Warehouse, Jump City…_

The empty warehouse was silent, no sign of the fierce physical and emotional battle that had just occurred. The silence was peaceful calming… and not to last.

A loud boom echoed from the front door, followed by another boom, and another. Dents started appearing on the door as it slowly bent inwards. A feminine scream of rage could be heard on the other side, as a blue and pink pede kicked the metal door off its hinges and sent it scraping along the floor.

Arcee squeezed herself through the door and stood to her full height in the dimly lit factory, her optics casting more light, "Jack!?" she called into the darkness. An echo was her only response.

The Titans stopped at the torn door behind her before following through. Arcee paid them little attention though, moving ahead, her blasters engaged. She scanned the area searching for any sign of her boyfriend.

It hadn't taken long for them to figure out that Slade had tricked them, but they'd yet to get a hold of Jack and warn him. Arcee didn't want to assume the worst but…

She called his name again, "Jack, where are you!?" she called out.

Cyborg walked up next to her pede, his arm raised, "I'm detecting the communicators signal in that direction," he said pointing to the right.

Arcee started forward, the Titans trying to keep up with her as she ignored anything that got in her way. Tools and equipment were pushed out of the way as she stormed forward as the others trailed behind her.

Arcee stopped as she saw the sight before her, "Arcee what's the…oh," Robin said at the site.

"Dude, what happened?" Beastboy asked. A platform had been through and collapsed, its edge still a light orange.

Arcee knelt down and looked around, "Jack was here, he fought someone, this is his handiwork," she stated, looking up at the large hole in the wall.

"Cyborg, where's that signal coming from?" Robin asked.

He pointed towards the hole, "From in there," he replied, and a part of his shoulder popped up revealing a flashlight of sorts.

The group walked in through the hole to find nothing. Except for the body lying on the floor. Robin made his way to the body while the others explored the room.

He knelt by the beheaded body which was missing both its arms as well, "Seems like Slade sent a robot clone after Jack," he said.

"Metal is still hot, we just missed him," Robin continued and looked up at Arcee, "Any weaknesses that Jack has that might have allowed Slade to get the advantage over him?" he asked.

The femme shook her head, "No, none that I know of on Earth, Kryptonite's the only one I know of and we destroyed the last of it," she answered.

"And if Slade found more?" Raven asked.

"I do not think that he did," Starfire announced gaining everyone's attention.

"Why's that Starfire?" Robin questioned.

She stood up from her kneeling position and held her hand out, "I found this," she replied. It was Jacks communicator…

_Autobot HQ…_

Two days. Two days since they'd met the Titans, two days since Jack had vanished without a trace. Two days of searching with no luck.

Once Starfire had found the communicator and they all came to the conclusion that Slade had kidnapped Jack somehow. Arcee had said her goodbyes after that, and returned to base with the communicator. Once she revealed what happened to the others, Optimus had immediately gone to work planning patrols and searches.

The first day only one Autobot at a time remained at base, everyone else went out patrolling, searching for their missing comrade. On the second day a few more had stayed behind, as con activity had increased.

Now on the third day only Arcee, Starscream, and Kara continued to search for Jack. According to the seeker he considered Jack a good ally and wasn't ready to stop searching constantly like the others. Yes the others would search but not very often, tending to stay at base and wait.

At this moment, every Autobot minus those three, were waiting at base. They'd already raided two separate Decepticon operations, and right now were relaxing from their most recent one. Bee and Bulk were with their charges, talking aimlessly not really focusing on a single subject, but avoiding anything to do with Jack.

Optimus and Ratchet worked at two separate terminals diligently, burying themselves in their work. Optimus was determined to find Jack, and Ratchet simply didn't want to deal with the reality of the fact that the teen he'd allied with was gone.

Void watched all of this silently, wondering what had been done to Jack. She knew he may not have been the most skilled fighter, but his strength speed and other powers made up for it. She had a feeling there was more to Jacks disappearance than a simple kidnapping.

The peaceful quiet of the base was interrupted as Fowlers face appeared on screen, "Prime," he greeted.

"Agent Fowler," he returned.

"Sorry to interrupt the search for Jack, but there's an attack at one of our research facilities," Fowler explained.

"Is it MECH or Decepticons?" Ratchet asked.

"Not sure, the cameras have been shut down. This is the only image that we could get," his face flickered off screen to reveal a single still frame. Several Hench-bots could be seen scattered around the base, with a familiar figure cloaked partly in shadow directing them.

"Is that?" Bulkhead started.

"Slade," Optimus growled. Arcee had been given a description of the man and transferred it to the bots so they would know what to look for. This figure, what could be seen, matched perfectly.

"Figured that old one eye wouldn't be able to handle Team Prime," Fowler explained.

Optimus nodded, "Ratchet open a bridge, we must confront Slade and learn of Jacks location and condition," Optimus ordered.

The medic nodded and activated a bridge, "Optimus, shouldn't we call the others back?" Bulkhead asked.

"Ordinarily yes Bulkhead, but time is of the essence. If we lose Slade we may not get another chance to find Jack," Optimus explained.

The bots nodded and transformed heading through the portal to confront the man who'd stolen their comrade…

_US Military Research outpost…_

The bots drove out of the bridge and transformed, blasters armed. They scanned the area, but almost no sign of combat could be seen. A few broken crates and damaged doors, but compared to a Con attack everything was intact.

Optimus was about to order the bots to spread out, when several black dressed figures emerged from the base, several carrying a large cylindrical object. It was about half the size of Bumblebee, and colored a lusterless silver.

Optimus fired a warning shot in front of the Hench-bots, who stopped. The leader visibly stiffened as the bots surrounded the group, his body obscured by the deep shadows of the base, and moonless night. His head was also tilted out of view.

"You are surrounded Slade, surrender now," Optimus ordered. Slade didn't move.

"You have ten seconds to comply," Optimus growled. He wasn't in the mood for games.

"Forget it Optimus," Bulkhead said, shifting his hand into a mace, "Let me have a few minutes alone with the human, I'll have him squawking in no time," he said and stepped forward.

What happened next, no one was entirely sure of. Slade shot towards Bulkhead and leapt into the air, flip-kicking the wrecker in the faceplate, causing him to stumble back. He landed legs splayed, and ran forward again leaping and tackling the bot out of the shadows and into the faint moonlight.

He rolled off the wrecker, and froze at the sound of several blasters being armed and pointed at him, "Stand up," Optimus ordered. He slowly did.

"Now turn around and tell us, where is Jack?" he demanded.

The figure slowly turned around, his face exposed in the moonlight. Optimus and the others lowered their blasters in shock, Bulkhead rolling on his side to look at what they were gawking at. His jaw dropped.

Standing there, dressed in attire eerily similar to the man they _thought_ they were confronting…Was Jack.

Optimus's faceplate slid back as he looked at the teen confused, "Jackson, what are you doing? Where have you been?" he asked, confused.

A sorrowful expression formed on Jacks face, but he said nothing, stepping back slightly. Everyone minus Optimus raised their blasters, "You aren't going anywhere kid, not till you answer us," Bulkhead ordered.

Jack froze, not moving, almost as if listening to someone. He looked directly at the bots, and mouthed two words, "_I'm sorry,_"

Before anyone could say a word in response, he shot into the air and attacked Team Prime. He shot towards Bulkhead again, slamming into his chest and zooming into the air. He let the wrecker go higher than him, and gripped him by the servo and spun around, flinging him at Bumblebee.

The two collided and rolled out of the way, Jack landing by the Hench-bots, "Take it to Slade, now!" he ordered. The bots moved off with the device, leaving Jack.

The teen turned to look at Optimus and Void, the latter of whom had her blasters armed at him. Jack shot towards her first, aiming to punch her in the mask. She moved to block and Jack fell, sliding under her. He flew back up and grabbed her metal braid, yanking her back.

He twisted and flung her away, knocking her into Bee and Bulkhead. He turned around in time for Optimus to wrap his servos around him. He struggled against his grip, trying to break free while the Prime applied all his strength to hold him in place.

"Jack, stop struggling, whatever is making you do this, we can help you fix it," Optimus pleaded. He didn't want to fight one he considered a friend and ally if he could help it.

Jack fixed his blue eyes on Optimus, "There isn't anything you could do Optimus," Jack replied quietly. Before Optimus could reply, Jack sucked in a large amount of breath, and used his freeze breath on the Primes face.

Optimus let out a cry of shock and let go of the teen, who landed on the ground while he wiped the ice from his optics. Jack rolled out of the way as Bulkheads mace landed where he used to be.

"I don't know what's gotten into you kid, but I'm going to knock it out of you," he growled, shifting his other servo into a mace. He slammed it on top of Jack, who caught it and struggled to hold off the weight. With a yell, the teen suddenly threw his arm off him, knocking Bulkhead back.

Jack flew up and kicked him in the faceplate, and delivered a series of booming punches. Right, left, right, and finally a ground shaking uppercut. The wrecker went flying into the air and landed on his back with a crash, moaning as he fell unconscious.

A series of blue blaster bolts slammed into Jack. The teen raised his arms in front of his face, as Bee circled him firing. He was beeping something at him, likely how disappointed he was in him for what he was doing.

The teen drooped towards the ground and slammed his fists into it. A large shockwave traveled towards the scout and knocked him off his pedes, causing him to crash into the ground with skidding across the concrete. He let out a series of confused beeps, while Void resumed an attack on Jack.

Her long blades scratched at the ground as Jack dodged and weaved the blades. He was too small for her to hit effectively, and it showed. Jacks hands shot out gripping both blades. With a grunt he flipped Voidwalker over head and slammed her into the ground with a crash.

Jack stood up and turned to see a blaster pointed at his face, Optimus looking at him, "I do not know why you are doing this, or why you have attacked us Jack, but I cannot allow you to steal that device," Optimus stated.

Jack looked at Optimus sadly, "And I can't let you stop me," he replied. Once again he used his freeze breath on the Prime, freezing his blaster until the weapon shut down. He flew up and around Optimus using the power on him, until the Prime was froze in place. Ice held his feet in place, and his body creaked and slowed until it finally came to a stop, his optics still live and active.

Jack looked at the rest of the unconscious members of Team Prime and clenched his eyes. Looking away, he flew off into the night, leaving his friends in a battered mess on the base floor…

_Unknown Location…_

Slade watched as his Hench-bots worked on the structure, his newest acquisition being integrated into the system. He had to admit, at the rate things were going, he'd have the structure finished in a matter of hours. He was only missing a single component, one he knew where to get, and who to send.

At that moment the sound of feet landing next to him caught his attention, and Slade turned his head slightly to look at his new apprentice, "Well done my apprentice, you handled your first mission well. I am happy to see my basic training has improved your already substantial skill set,"

Jack glared at Slade, "You know this deal can't last forever Slade," he growled.

Slade looked back at the construction project, "You know what's funny? Robin told me the exact same thing. Problem was, I underestimated him,"

"That is one mistake I will not make again," he promised.

"The moment those devices are shut down, I am going to tear you limb from limb!" Jack snarled.

Slade didn't move at all for several seconds. Long enough that Jack had dropped his guard and didn't see the backhand coming. He let out a grunt of pain as the back of Slades hand connected with his face and sent him tumbling to the ground.

Jack rubbed the spot where he was struck and glared up at Slade, "You will show me more respect than that, or your friends and family die," Slade stated.

Jack scowled at him, "Now, I want you to apologize," Slade said.

Jack remained silent, "I said apologize," he ordered, the trigger appearing in his hands.

"I'm. Sorry." he ground out, each word disgusted him.

The trigger disappeared and Slade turned back to the structure, "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked.

Jack didn't respond, simply got back to his feet and stood behind Slade resisting the urge to rip his head off. Jack mentally shook himself, he wouldn't kill Slade, killing was something he'd never do again. But he would get back at him for this, and make sure he spent the rest of his life in prison.

"Tell me Jack, do you recognize this structure?" Slade asked.

Jack looked at the structure, making out the details. It was roughly forty feet tall, and extended several hundred feet into a solid stone wall. A bridge followed into the tunnel, pipes and various other technical equipment easily accessible underneath. A large ring structure was posted every forty or so feet in.

Jacks eyes widened as he made the connection, "It's a ground bridge!"

Slade chuckled once, "Yes, it is, and it is nearing completion. All I need is one final component,"

He looked to Jack, "And _you _know exactly where it is," he stated.

Jacks eyes widened in horror, "If you think I'm going to attack my friends again for you," he started, only to receive a blow to the stomach. He doubled over gasping for air from the blow. For a human, Slade hit hard, harder than should have been possible.

"You are my apprentice, you will do as I say when I say it regardless of what you _think_," Slade knelt down slightly, "And if you try to resist, I will not hesitate to make you watch as your loved ones die in agony,"

Jack sucked in more breath as he regained his composure, "Am I understood!?" Slade demanded, raising his voice slightly.

Jack looked up at him angrily, "Yes," he growled out.

"Yes what?" Slade asked, crossing his arms.

Jack clenched his fists and was visibly shaking, "Yes…master," he grounded out.

"Good boy, now go and fetch what I need," Slade ordered.

Reluctantly Jack turned around and flew into the air, "_Please forgive me," _he said to himself…

_Autobot HQ…_

The bridge swirled to life letting Team Prime walk back into base, Bulkhead supporting Optimus who was still recovering from Jacks freeze attack. The Prime was confused and worried about what had happened to Jack. Worst of all, he didn't want to tell the others, Arcee and Kara in particular, about what happened.

It would break their spirits to find out what happened. Optimus looked up as he limped in and felt his own spark fall. June was here with a worried look on her face, same as the kids. Optimus inwardly sighed, they would not take this news well.

The five looked at Team Prime in shock, "Optimus, what happened?" Ratchet asked.

"Did you manage to find out where my son is?" June asked hopefully. Raf and Miko looked at the bots with hope in their eyes.

Optimus looked at everyone sadly, "It would appear that the enemy we fought did not know where Jack was," he stated.

"So you mean Jack is still missing?" Miko asked, her pigtails drooping sadly.

"If by missing using us as punching bags, than yeah," Bulkhead growled.

"What do you mean?" Raf asked.

"As I tried to explain, the enemy did not know where Jack was because our enemy was Jack," Optimus explained.

"What?" the three humans asked in confusion.

"He was dressed in some sort of new uniform and attacked the base before attacking us when we tried to stop him," Bulkhead explained.

"That doesn't make sense, Jack would never turn against you guys," Raf protested.

"Maybe Slade used some sort of crazy mind-control on him!" Miko suggested.

"I do not believe that Jack is working for Slade of his own free will, nor do I believe that Slade has brainwashed him," Optimus said firmly, "More than likely Slade has found some sort of weakness to blackmail Jack into doing his bidding," he explained.

"The question remains though, what is he using as blackmail?" Voidwalker asked.

"Ugh, guys? I think you're forgetting the _other _problem here," Miko said worriedly, and everyone turned to them, "How are Arcee and Kara going to react when they find out Jacks gone bad?" she asked.

Everyone looked to each other worried. Telling those two would be difficult to say the least. There was no telling how they would react to this news. So of course, at this moment the two could be heard entering base.

Kara flew in and landed on the platform, a defeated look on her face. Arcee transformed and from the look on her faceplate was feeling fairly similar to Kara. The two looked down not quiet noticing the condition of Team Prime yet.

"Still no luck," Arcee growled, balling her servos.

She looked up at Team Prime and her look of defeat was replaced with worry, "Optimus, what happened?" she asked.

Optimus looked at the others before turning back to Arcee and Kara and sighing, "You may want to prepare yourselves," he warned. he explained everything that had happened to them at the base. Once he finished he stood up straighter, waiting for the reaction.

Arcee scowled, "Is this some kind of joke?" she demanded. Silence was her only answer.

"Kal wouldn't… he'd never work for that man," Kara said in denial.

"You would be right Kara, but we believe that Slade is blackmailing Jack into working for him. The next time we encounter him, we will capture him," Optimus stated.

"I still don't believe this, Jack wouldn't let anyone control him like that. Not unless one of us was at risk," Arcee muttered to herself.

Ratchet cleared his throat gaining everyone's attention, "While this situation with Jack _is _worrisome, I need Optimus in the med bay so I may work on his injuries," Ratchet stated. The others nodded and Team Prime made their way into the med bay while Arcee walked to her quarters thinking about everything she'd been told.

If it was true, that Jack was working for Slade now, she had no one to blame but herself. She'd abandoned him, let him go off on his own. Now he was working for Slade and forced to fight for him.

The femme clenched her servos. She would free Jack of Slade, that much she knew for certain. But the question was, if she had to fight Jack, could she bring herself to pull the trigger? To do what was necessary to stop Slades plan?

Arcee sighed, hopefully that day wouldn't come anytime soon…

_Outside Autobot HQ…_

Jack landed next to the mesa that made up the Autobot base. He knew the location well, he would find a way. He could go in through the front entrance, but the base was _never _abandoned. He could wait till night, but Slade had ordered him on his way there that waiting wasn't an option.

Once he made his way inside, the criminal would tell him what the object he sought was. That would be the most help the teen would receive. Jack sighed and looked up at the large stone wall before him.

He looked forward, and his eyes started to glow a bright red. His heat vision shot out, and slowly the rock began to glow a dull red, then a bright orange, and finally a furious white as it slowly fell away. Jack stepped forward, the wall falling away, making his way in. He heard a low hiss as the cool of the air began leaking through and the wall fell away.

He stepped inside and found himself in a familiar empty corridor. He looked at the small hole in the wall and shrugged. No one would notice it hopefully if he moved fast enough. Jack turned back forward and lifted off the ground overhead. Not even Optimus would see him from up here.

Jack flew along the halls until he heard the sound of voices emanating from the main hall. He came to a stop and floated next to ceiling of the hall, peaking out into the room. He saw the group of bots that had tried to stop him, and scanned the area.

He cursed as he saw Miko and Raf there as well. This would complicate things. He looked to the right of them and froze. Kara and his mom were both in base as well! Jack slowly began easing his way back down the hall. He wasn't going to face them the risk…

"Where do you think you're going Jack?" Slade asked over his earpiece.

"Kara is here, the risk to the device-"

Slade cut him off, "You are more experienced and better trained Jack, deal with her first, then take the device," he ordered.

Jack sighed, "What even is it you want me to get?" he demanded.

"In your utility belt is a tool that you need to insert into a terminal. It will copy and download the software used for the ground bridge. Once its finished it will destroy the original copy," Slade explained.

"Are you crazy!?" Jack hissed quietly into his comm., "You want me to not only steal the software for the ground bridge, the Autobots only advantage over the cons, but destroy the original!?" he demanded.

"I don't believe I stuttered while explaining what I wanted Jack. Now go," and the comm. cut off.

Jack growled, "Some help he is," he muttered to himself. He looked back in the room and saw everyone was looking away from him.

Seizing his chance, Jack floated out of the hall and shot into the sky hiding in the upper rafters. He moved too fast for anyone to hear, and crouched on a rock ledge. He now had a full view of everyone in base, watching and waiting for his chance.

Several of the bots stood and made their way out of the hall, moving towards their quarters more than likely. Jacks X-ray vision was useless in the base, the lead kept him from seeing the bots, but he'd make do. A conversation between Kara and his mom caught his attention and he looked to them.

"I'm just worried Kara, what if Jack can't come back? What if he's forced to stay in that mans service?" June asked, the worry obvious.

"Jacks strong June, he'll figure a way out, he has before," Kara said and smiled faintly, "and if not I'll be there to pull his aft out of the fire," she quipped.

Jack clenched his hands and looked away. He couldn't listen to this. If they only knew _why _he was doing what he was doing. Maybe they'd be able to help him. But they'd never figure it out without him telling them, and odds were that wouldn't happen.

Jack cursed silently and lightly slammed his hand against the ledge he was on. He quickly realized his mistake as a piece of rock broke off the ledge and tumbled down. It bounced off the wall and landed right at the feet of Kara and his mother.

The two looked at the rock and looked up right where Jack was. June saw nothing, and turned her head away, "It was probably just a loose rock," she said.

Kara on the other hand, disagreed, "No, it wasn't," she said narrowing her eyes.

Jack scooted back trying to get out of view, but it was too late, "Jack!?" Kara called out, "Jack is that you?"

"Your covers blown Jack, you know what to do," Slade ordered.

He didn't move, "You will finish this mission now my apprentice, or you will personally watch your friends and family die!" he threatened.

Jack sighed, looks like he didn't have a choice. He jumped from the ledge, plummeting to the ground. He looked towards his sister, and shot a beam of heat vision at her feet, causing everyone to back away.

"Whoa Jack what the heck!?" Miko yelled. Jack landed with a thud and rolled forward poised for a fight. The sound of several blasters could be heard warming up as Voidwalker and Bee pointed their blasters at him.

"Don't just stand there my apprentice, attack!" Slade ordered.

"Jack, we know that Slade is holding something over you," Kara said slowly approaching him, "But we can help," Jack looked to her with a helpless look on his face. If she only knew.

"Attack now!" Slade ordered.

Jack mentally apologized and leapt over Kara, attacking Bumblebee first. He flip kicked the scout backwards and landed feet first on the wall. He shot off towards Voidwalker, aiming to tackle her. The femme had other ideas and her servo grabbed Jack and swung around, slamming him into the base wall.

Jack managed to wriggle an arm free and slammed his elbow into the wall behind him. Rock shattered creating an alcove large enough for him to step back. He leapt out and turned around, using his freeze breath to freeze her hand in place. He landed by her pedes and repeated the process, keeping the femme out of action.

Those were the only two bots in the main hall for now, so Jack flew up to the terminal, typing in several commands before removing the device and plugging it into the terminal. The process would take several minutes though, and Jack would have to keep it from being interrupted. Easier said than done.

Kara wrapped her arms around her brother as he finished, and flung him off the platform, "I don't want to fight you Jack," she said.

Jack shook his head and looked up at her, "But I don't have a choice," he stated before shooting towards her. He tackled her off the platform, the two super powered teens struggling against each other. They rolled across the ground before breaking apart, Kara charging her brother.

Jack redirected her punches several times and grabbed her legs as she kicked at him. He twisted to the side and flung her away and into a metal walkway. There was a screech of metal as she tore through the platform and crashed into the ground.

Jack flew towards her, and bent the platform around her stunned form, sealing it in place with his heat vision. He turned to make his way to the terminal when several heavy footsteps entered the room.

"So you came back for round two?" Bulkhead demanded slamming his fists together.

Jack turned to face him and Ratchet, the latter of which seemed somewhat shocked by this development, "Ratchet, he's placed some sort of device on the bridge that we can't get off, and its copying everything!" Raf cried from his laptop.

Ratchet looked up and ran to the bridge. Jack flew in front of him, stopping him, "I can't let you Ratchet, too much is at stake," he said quietly.

Ratchet tried to smack him out of the way, but Jack stopped his servo mid swing. Heaving, Jack flung the medic on his back before twisting and making him collide head first with the wall. Ratchet slid down unconscious while Bulkhead attacked Jack.

Jacks fist and Bulks mace met head on, and a loud boom echoed. The wrecker tried outmatching Jack in strength, using his other arm to try and add to the pressure of his first arm. Jack placed both arms on the mace and slowly pushed his arm back.

He suddenly shot up knocking him backwards. The wrecker stumbled back, and Jack flew forward, slamming his fist on his head. Bulkhead wobbled around dazed before Jack gripped him by the arm and flew up into the rafters, leaving him there.

Jack landed by the terminal saw the download had finished. He moved to grab the device that had unlatched itself, but Miko snatched it up before he could. Jack turned to the girl who held it behind herself protectively.

"I can't let you have this Jack," she said defensively, "Not while you're still on the bad guys side,"

"How touching," Slade commented, "But a sentiment that won't last,"

"Miko look, if you don't give me that device right now, you and everyone else is going to get hurt," Jack warned.

"Is that a threat!?" she demanded.

"No, it's a warning, Slade-"

"Not a word Jack, you wouldn't want to spoil the surprise now would you?" Slade interrupted.

Jack ground his teeth together but stayed silent, "Slade will what Jack?" Raf asked the teen.

"I… I can't tell you," Jack finally said the sadness obvious in his voice.

"Then it's obviously not that important," Miko said.

"Jack if it's important you need to tell us," June said stepping forward.

Jack looked at his mother helplessly, "I want to mom, but I can't," he warned.

"Times up Jack," Slade stated.

There was a beep, and suddenly the three humans fell to the ground screaming in pain.

"NO!" Jack screamed, moving to try and help.

"Get the device and leave and they will live," Slade explained.

Jack reluctantly grabbed the device and walked away, flying off the platform. He was happy to see that the three stopped writhing in pain as he flew towards the tunnel exit. But he wasn't scot free yet.

He heard the screech of tires and turned to see the one person he didn't want to see. Arcee drove at him in motorcycle mode, transforming and sliding to a stop a few dozen feet away, blaster armed.

"Put the device down Jack," she ordered. Jack looked at her trying to keep his face blank.

"I didn't want to believe the others when they told me that you were working for Slade," she said, "I guess I was wrong,"

A few tears spilled down Jacks face, "Arcee I…"

"Just…drop the device," she ordered again.

Jack looked at it and back at her, "I can't"

"So be it," she said calmly, her blaster warming up.

"I'm not going to fight you Arcee, I'm only doing this because I love you," Jack told her.

Arcee didn't move, but her blaster shook slightly before she dropped it and let out a small sob, "Just…just go," she ordered.

Jack nodded and flew off, leaving the base in shambles. Every bot minus Arcee and Optimus was injured or out of commission in some way. The humans lay on the floor stunned but recovering. Arcee sat down against the tunnel wall and pulled her knees to her chest.

She placed her head on her knees and felt the tears spill down her faceplate, "I love you too Jack," she cried softly. She clenched her eyes and sat their silently sobbing…

**A/N: I…I don't have much to say. Here's the chapter, what did you think? Let me know in the reviews and tell me what you think of this little three parter. Also PM me with ideas or questions. Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Freedom

_Slades Headquarters…_

Jack stormed through the grey halls of Slades base, his boots echoing against the floor. Dim lights illuminated the halls just enough for a human to see where they were going. Slade was the only human in base and kept them that low for a tactical advantage. At least that's what he told Jack.

The teen personally believed it was because Slade was very melodramatic, always hiding in the shadows, making big long speeches. The dimly lit narrow corridors just added to the whole evil lair thing that defined his base. Jack shook his head of these thoughts as he stormed through a pair of doors that whooshed open as he walked through them.

He saw the ground bridge itself was complete, and saw the man that he hated standing on the platform, looking over a terminal. Jack clenched his fists at the sight of him before taking a breath to steady himself. Instead of flying up to him, Jack walked up the stairs to the platform, making the man wait for his prize.

It was petty maybe, but Jack had to take whatever little pieces of vengeance he could at Slade. The man threatened those he cared about, he might be forced to be his apprentice, but he'd be damned before he made it easy for Slade.

"Excellent work, my apprentice," Slade praised as Jack finally stepped onto the platform.

He turned to look at Jack and held out a gloved hand, "Now if you don't mind. The data," he ordered.

Jack glared at Slade before tossing the device underhand to him, going sidelong. Slades hand shot out and caught it firmly, bringing his arm back down and eyeing it. He was silent for a moment before his one eye swiveled back up to look at Jack.

"Don't think you're clever boy, I know exactly what you're doing," Slade informed him.

Jack crossed his arms, "Should I care?" he growled. He immediately regretted saying that as the trigger appeared in Slades free hand.

"A push of a button Jack, that's all it would take," he paused letting that sink in, "Do you really want to explain to everyone how it's _your _fault that they died?" Slade asked.

"How is it _my _fault!?" Jack demanded slicing his hand through the air, "You're the one who's killing them!" he accused.

Slade chuckled, "Jack, if you had never associated yourself with them, they would never even have met me. Simple as that. The ones you care and love for are put at risk because of _you_," Slade said coldly.

Jack opened his mouth to respond, freezing as Slades words sunk in. It was his fault wasn't it? Slade may have been the one to implant them, but Jack, Jack was the reason he did it in the first place. He really only had himself to blame.

Slade smirked and turned around, placing the device into the terminal. There was a low beeping sound before the terminal lit up, and the program Ratchet used for the ground bridge appeared, with lettering written in English.

"Excellent, the software is fully functional, now to choose my first target," he said, leaning over the terminal, arms splayed.

Jack turned to walk away, trying to be anywhere but there for the moment. Unfortunately, Slade spotted this, "Just where do you think you're going, my apprentice?" he asked.

Jack turned to him, "My quarters," he answered dryly.

Slade turned fully around, arms crossed behind his back, "I did not give you permission to leave, nor did I dismiss you. You will take no actions unless I order so," Slade narrowed his eye, "Am I clear?"

Jack clenched his fists, resisting the urge to attack Slade, "Yes. Master," he growled.

"Good. Now I have another mission for you," Slade said returning to the terminal, "You are to lead my forces into Jump City and take out any forces that try to stop you," he ordered.

Jack gulped nervously, "And what about the Titans?" he asked.

Slade glanced over his shoulder at Jack, "What about the Titans? If they try and stop you, destroy them, understood?"

Jack inhaled deeply before exhaling. He didn't want to do this, he really didn't want to do this. But what choice did he have? If he didn't his family would die.

"Understood," Jack said through clenched teeth. He turned to walk back down the stairs, when Slade stood straight up.

"Oh, one more thing," Slade said, causing Jack to turn and face him "You can't go out into battle without this," he said holding up a case and flicking it open.

Jacks eyes widened in horror and he stepped back…

_Jump City…_

The Titans raced through the streets of the city towards the general attack area. Cyborg and Beastboy were using the T-Car, Raven and Starfire flew close by overhead, and Robin weaved through traffic on his bright red R-Cycle.

"So what we dealing with Robin?" Cyborg asked.

"Slade, he's brought a large number of his forces through the center of the city," Robin explained.

"Dude, how did he even get that many guys in the middle of town without someone noticing!?" Beastboy demanded.

"Perhaps he has mastered the arcane arts?" Starfire suggested, looking to Raven for confirmation.

Raven shook her head, "If Slade is using some sort of magic, I haven't sensed it," she replied.

"Doesn't matter how Slade got his forces in," Robin said, bike evading a car, "We're going to stop him, plain and simple,"

"Hope you're ready for it then, because we got incoming!" Cyborg warned, and the two vehicles skid to either side as a pair of blaster bolts shot past them, exploding against the asphalt behind them.

Robin looked up to see a small sum of Slades forces in the middle of the street. They were the shock trooper variant, tall lanky white machines with a black X across their chests. They lacked heads and had a single red optic in above the upper cross of the X. They had large black pincers at the end of their arms with a blaster planted between the claws.

And right now, said blasters were firing at them relentlessly. The two vehicles swerved and weaved to avoid the blaster fire while Raven and Starfire shot ahead to deal with the four robots. Starfire flung a barrage of bright green blaster bolts at her attackers, her eyes glowing green to match.

They slammed against two of the robots, exploding against their protective shells. One went down as it took the majority of the blows, while the other staggered back. Starfire reared back her fist and let out a war cry as she punched though its armor, disabling the machine. It stumbled back off her arm and crashed into the ground with a thud, kicking up dust.

Starfire squeaked in surprise as another one grabbed her with its claw, holding her tight. It didn't last though, as large pipes burst from the ground, covered in black energy.

Raven floated in the air, manipulating her hands and her eyes glowing white, "Azarath, Metrione, Zynthos!" she cried, and the pipes wrapped around and crushed the bot with a loud crunch.

A blue sonic cannon shot collided with the last one, stunning it as the T-Car screeched to a halt. The R-Cycle kept going though, and shot over it. Robin leapt off the bike, and watched it crash into the robot, exploding against it while he landed on the ground softly.

"Show off," BB muttered while getting out of the car.

"Alright Robin, what's the plan?" Cyborg asked as Raven and Starfire landed next to them.

Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, before looking up at the others, "Beastboy, think you can spy on the bulk of Slades force, tell us what were up against?" he asked.

"You got it!" he replied and swiftly morphed into a hawk taking off into the air.

The group waited for several moments, waiting for BB to return. Time was of the essence, but they needed to know _exactly_ what to expect. In a short time, the shape-shifter returned and morphed mid landing.

"Okay, we got a _lot _of bad guys few hundred easy. Slades leading them from the front," Beastboy reported.

"Why would Slade lead from the front? He never leads from the front," Cyborg pointed out.

"It's Slade, he probably wants to gloat," Raven pointed out.

"Doesn't matter, he made a mistake coming out. Now we can capture him, shut his army down, and find out what he did with Jack," Robin stated swiftly.

He turned to Beastboy and Starfire, "Beastboy, Starfire, take to the skies, wait for the signal. Cyborg, you'll be heading underground, Raven you're with me," Robin ordered.

Everyone nodded, and the group took off into their positions. Cyborg slid a manhole cover off and jumped into the sewers, landing with a splash into the murky water. He lifted up a foot and wrinkled his nose as the sewer water ran off it.

"Bird boy this plan had better work," he quipped to himself.

Starfire and BB flew into the air, Beastboy in the form of a Peregrine Falcon. The two looked at the mass of Hench-bots below, causing general chaos and marching forward slowly. They could barely make out Slade edging towards the end of the street.

Raven materialized at the end of the street while Robin swung down at the other side, crouching against the building wall. He looked to her and held up three disks and she nodded. He waited for a brief moment before leaping out from the wall and flung the three disks at Slade. Raven used her magic to manipulate it, and the disks moved around him and crashed into the front of the army, kicking up fire and dust.

Slade froze in surprise at the assault, before several green star bolts slammed into his army from behind, crashing into the troops. They turned up to fire, only for a green whale to land on them, crushing many of them.

The whale quickly shifted back to Beastboy and then into a large rhino that charged into the mass of Hench-bots. Meanwhile, Starfire flew into the mass, slamming her star bolts into the robots, incinerating their metal bodies.

Adding to the chaos, Cyborg's sonic cannon shot through the street into the mass of baddies. Parts flew everywhere as the large hero broke through the ground into the air, cannon charged. He crashed into the remaining bots, parts flying everywhere.

Robin and Raven attacked Slade, the latter creating a black energy platform to launch the boy wonder towards the criminal. Slade looked at Robin who leapt off the platform towards Slade, foot extended as he let out a war cry.

His foot slammed into Slades face, causing the criminal to whip to the side at an unnatural angle. Robin landed on the ground and rolled forward, twisting around and launching a grappling hook at Slade. The yellow wire wrapped around his arms and pulled taught, pinning them to his sides.

Robin yanked and pulled Slade off his feet towards him. He slammed a foot on Slades shoulder, the man's blue eye. Several explosions and crashes could be heard before the other Titans landed or walked up next to him.

"Well that was easy," Cyborg said, brushing off his shoulders.

"Almost too easy," Robin said before looking down at Slade, "All right Slade, what are you planning? Where's Jack?" he demanded.

Slades response was to twist on his back, knocking off Robin before leaping to his feet. He merely flexed and the metal rope around him broke off with ease.

Robin got back to his feet, "Titans, attack!" he ordered, and they attacked.

Beastboy morphed into a Triceratops and charged Slade, aiming to bowl him over. Slade leapt over the morphed teen and kicked off his back. He flew forwards to the ground, only to get tackled by Cyborg midair.

The cybernetic teen pushed him across the ground before releasing him and relentlessly pounding him with his fists, "Show me what you got big man, show me what you got!" he taunted.

Slades hands shot up and gripped both of Cyborgs fists, stopping them dead, "Oh, that's what you've got," he said sheepishly.

With a grunt Slade twisted and flung Cyborg into Robin, knocking both teens into a building. Starfire launched another barrage of star bolts at Slade, hiding him in a body of smoke and ash. The tamaranian stopped, and waited for a sign of Slade.

She got it when the criminal leapt out of the smoke towards her… 50 feet in the air. Starfire let out a surprised squeak as Slade punched her in the face, hard. She went careening backwards and crashed into the road, skipping across it and rolling.

Slade landed lightly on the ground, and stood up. Only too for beast boy to ram into him as a billy goat. Slade grunted and gripped the goats horns and heaved, slamming him onto the ground, cratering the ground. Beastboy morphed back to human form in a daze, moaning.

Slade looked up from the dazed teen, just in time for Raven to use her magic to wrap him in a lamp post, constraining him again, "Let's see you break that," she challenged.

Slade reached up and ripped the lamp post off like it was tissue paper, tossing it to the side, "Okay, when did Slade get so strong!?" Cyborg demanded, getting off the ground and shaking his head.

"Doesn't matter, we still have to take him down," Robin said, slamming his fist into an open palm to emphasize his point.

Slade turned his gaze on them, one eye looking at them. Robin and Cyborg charged again, the latter holding a hand out to Robin, who stepped into it. With a grunt, the metal teen flung his leader into the air. Robin flipped in mid air and threw several of his disk explosives at Slade, all of which exploded harmlessly against him.

Slade leapt up and gripped Robin by the head and threw him at a car. He let out a pained grunt as he bounced off the car, denting it. Slade started to fall and redirected himself at Cyborg, falling towards him, foot extended forward.

Cyborg crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the kick from Slade which created a mini shockwave. The outer layer of the asphalt was dug up as Cyborg slid back, his feet kicking up sparks. He dropped his guard only to receive an uppercut from Slade, launching him up.

He grabbed him by the foot and slammed Cyborg into the ground with a tremendous crash, leaving a neat imprint in the ground. Slade stood back up, letting go of Cyborgs foot, and looked to see Raven readying a spell.

"Azarath, Metrione, Zynth-" she stopped as Slade appeared in front of her, a hand clamped over her mouth. He grabbed her by the cloak and flung her into a street light. She bounced off it with a pained grunt and landed in an undignified heap on the floor.

Slade looked at the fighters he'd beaten, and noticed that Star and Robin were missing. A star bolt exploded against his back and he looked up to see Starfire flying right towards him, holding Robins hand with her own. She flung the boy wonder towards Slade, who flung several of his sharpened boomerangs at Slade.

Slade blocked each one with his forearms, and kicked Robin away, just in time for Starfire's fist to connect with his mask. His head whipped to the side and he stumbled backwards, stunned. Starfire flung a star bolt at him, causing him to stumble back again.

And another, and another, and soon a barrage of the green objects were slamming against him, causing him to back into a car, that promptly exploded from her star bolts. Slade was engulfed in the flames, disappearing from view.

The other Titans gathered around the panting Tamaranian, rubbing their injuries, "Jeez man, where did Slade get all that power?" Beastboy asked.

"Wherever he got it from, we'll never know," Raven said, motioning to the flaming car.

Starfire blushed, "I may have gotten… carried away," she said rubbing her head sheepishly.

"I wouldn't say that my dear," Slade's voice called from the wreckage.

"No," Robin said.

"That shouldn't be possible," Cyborg said in agreement.

"What does it take to take this guy down!?" Beastboy demanded angrily.

Slade's form appeared outlined in the fire, unharmed, "More than you five are capable of," his dark voice warned.

Robin struck his fighting pose, "Titans, we hold here, we _must _stop Slade," he ordered.

Cyborg shifted his arm into its sonic cannon, fixing it on Slade. Beastboy morphed to a T-Rex and roared at Slade angrily. Ravens eyes glow white hot while her hands were engulfed in black energy. Starfire's star bolts were readied, and her eyes started glowing emerald green.

Slade stood across from them, and without warning, he charged…

_Autobot HQ…_

Everyone moved slowly around the base, repairing the damage by Jacks sudden attack on the base. After the boy had retreated, Ratchet had activated a hidden backup program for the ground bridge, something he'd had made just in case. Once it was activated, he'd started scanning the three humans for a sign of what had caused them so much pain earlier.

While he did that, the rest of base had slowly woken back up and repaired the damage from the small fight. Arcee had helped somewhat, but the whole time appeared to be on the verge of tears. If anyone had been hit hard by Jacks assault, it had been the femme and his mother.

The latter simply had a troubled expression her face while Ratchet looked her over. While he did that though, Kara had used her knowledge of Cybertronian biology to help fix the relatively minor injuries of the Autobots. She was acting particularly fussy towards Void.

"Ack, child I told you, I'm fine!" Void exclaimed as Kara continued to prod several areas.

"I don't have scanners Void, and you might have an internal injury we don't know about," Kara countered.

Voidwalker sighed, "Kara, Jackson didn't hurt me, just incapacitated me. He clearly was holding back," she said.

Bulkhead groaned, "If that's what it feels like when Jack holds back, I don't want to be in his way when he doesn't" the wrecker decided.

Bee chirped in agreement, "Good point, almost makes me feel bad for the cons when we sick him on them. Almost," Bulkhead said in agreement.

"But now he's fighting us," Arcee said sadly. She was sitting on a berth, legs drawn in to her chest and her helm resting on her knees.

"Not for the reasons we might have fought," Ratchet announced, catching everyone's attention.

"You have found something Ratchet?" Optimus asked, walking to the medic.

Ratchet nodded, "While scanning our human companions, I found a small device located in the base of their spines," he explained, and brought up diagrams on screen showing their location.

"Whoa…" Miko said in wonder.

"That was inside of _us_?" June asked, shocked.

Ratchet nodded, "Further analysis revealed that the device when activated causes feedback in the hosts neural system, causing intense pain and eventually… death,"

"How did they even get there?" Raf asked.

"It would appear that the devices were injected into the blood stream somehow, and managed to make their way down where they attached themselves inside your spine," Ratchet answered.

"And I think we know who would do something like that," Kara said.

"Slade," Arcee growled, clenching her fists.

"That's why Jack is working for him!" Miko exclaimed, "If he doesn't, he pulls the switch,"

"And why he couldn't warn us, Slade knew we would try to remove them," Raf said in agreement.

Bulkhead rubbed his helm confused, "But why didn't Jack just beat the scrap out of Slade?" he asked.

Optimus frowned, "More than likely, Slade has linked the activation of these devices to his vital signs. If Jack attacked him…" he trailed off, there was no need to further explain what would have happened.

"Regardless, the devices are of little consequence now, I neutralized them with a small neural shock. They won't cause any more harm to you," Ratchet stated with a note of pride.

Everyone smiled at this development, even Optimus. With those things gone, they could get Jack back and put Slade down. Arcee's smile quickly turned into a frown though, as a thought occurred to her.

She stood up from the berth and walked forward, "Ratchet, scan us," she ordered.

He looked at the femme and quirked an optic ridge, "May I ask why?"

"If Slade bugged Jacks human friends and family, odds are he might have bugged the rest of us," she explained to him.

Ratchet rubbed his chin with a servo, "I suppose that makes sense, though you are the only one to have encountered Slades forces _before_ he forced Jack to work for him," Ratchet pointed out.

Arcee shook her helm, "Doesn't matter, scan all of us, we can't risk this. Jack will never risk hurting us, and if even one of us is still at Slades mercy, Jack will do whatever he says," she reasoned.

Optimus walked up behind her, "Arcee has a point Ratchet, this is not something we can take a risk on,"

"Should we call Screamer back from patrol to get him scanned too?" Bulkhead asked.

Optimus shook his head, "Starscream has had no contact with Slades forces, he would not be bugged," he explained.

The wrecker nodded, and Ratchet began scanning each Autobot, the glowing green light passing over their forms. He passed over each member, until he finally came to Arcee. His scanner passed over her slender form, and beeped.

Ratchets eyes widened in shock and horror, "By the allspark!" he said horrified.

"What is it Ratchet?" Arcee asked, concerned about the medics reaction.

"It would appear your assumption was right, Slade did bug us. He bugged you with a batch of nanobot's that are gathered around your spark. With the press of a button, he could kill you," Ratchet explained.

Arcee placed a servo over her spark, Jacks words echoing in her processor, _"I'm only doing this because I love you,"_ that's all he could say. If he said it was to protect her, Slade would have killed her on the spot.

Arcee narrowed her optics and clenched her servos, looking up at Ratchet, "How soon can you have them removed?" she demanded.

"It should only take a moment, but will require you to open your spark chamber while everyone else leaves the area," he ordered.

Everyone else nodded and slowly filtered out until only the femme and Ratchet were left in the med bay. Ratchet motioned for Arcee to sit on a berth.

She nodded and sat in place while Ratchet prepared his tools, "Remove your chest armor and open your spark chamber," Ratchet ordered while he worked.

Arcee nodded and reached her servos up under her arms and activated the hidden buttons. There was a hiss as her blue and black armor hissed and split on either side of her arms. Placing her servos under, she lifted it off, exposing her protoform.

Unlike a human female, Arcee had no breasts in the traditional sense. Her chest was rounded like a females but lacked any form of genitalia. To a normal human it would appear she was wearing a shiny silver skin tight suit.

It was actually her bare protoform, and if she ever had a sparkling she would develop the necessary components to feed it. Until then though her chest would remain bare.

Her winglets armor had come off as well, exposing their true form to any who might have seen it. They held the same basic shape as her armor did, but flexed and moved in the light slightly shining silver, something her armor often hid. They were even more sensitive now, and the femme trembled at the feeling of the cool air against them.

Ratchet turned to her, a small device in his hands, "Open your spark chamber," he ordered.

Arcee nodded and focused for a moment. A Cybertronians spark chamber was a unique thing, it could be opened manually by another, but a Cybertronian could open it through thought. The purpose of this was for a bonding between two bots. Showing a bot your spark chamber was a great sign of trust, and in some cases love.

Arcee had only ever revealed her spark chamber to Ratchet, and only out of the fact that she was her doctor. But no one, not Cliff, Tailgate, or even Jack had seen it yet.

There was another low hiss as the bit of her chest below her neck split down the middle of a small oval that appeared. Two doors slid back, exposing the femmes spark chamber, and her spark.

Her spark floated in between to couplings with no sign of manipulation. It pulsed gently, glowing a soft white color, and casting light off Ratchets armor. But, there was one sign that it was not all healthy. A small screen filled the spark chamber, giving it a grainy appearance.

The nanobots didn't move, but remained buzzing in place, waiting there orders. Ratchet inwardly smirked. Clearly Slade had not realized how easy removing them would be. For a human it would have been incredibly dangerous, for a Cybertronian, all Ratchet had to do was use the small device in his hands.

Ratchet lifted it up, and pressed a button, activating it. A low hum began to emit from it, and the nanobots were quickly sucked out of Arcee's spark chamber, causing the femme to gasp slightly. The feeling of the suction on her spark chamber felt weird.

In a matter of seconds, every nanobot was sucked out, leaving Arcee clean, "You may close your chamber and put your armor back on, you're clean," Ratchet informed her.

Arcee nodded gratefully and sealed her spark chamber shut. She lifted her armor over head and reattached it, shifting comfortably. Her armor felt very familiar to her, and she felt to exposed without it.

Once finished, the two returned to the main hall, "Arcee is free, meaning that all of Slades blackmail over Jack is gone," Ratchet informed them.

There was a collective cheer from almost everyone at this revelation, "Now we just need to find Kal," Kara said, looking at the communicator the Titans had given them.

She looked back at everyone else, "You think the Titan's could help us track them down?" she asked hopeful.

Before anyone could say a word, the communicator beeped and flipped open, revealing Robin's face, "Robin to Autobot base, do you read me?" he asked, his voice sounding tired.

"This is Kara, Jacks sister, I read you," she said looking into the screen.

"Good, we need help, Slade is assaulting the city. We're fighting him off right now, but he's been holding us off," Robin reported as a loud crash was heard in the background.

"I'll be there in a moment Robin," Kara reported.

"Roger that," a loud explosion caught his attention and he looked off screen, "Starfire!"

The line went dead and Kara looked to Ratchet, "Open a bridge, this will only take a minute," she ordered.

"We should accompany you Kara," Voidwalker pointed out.

The teen shook her head, "No, I can handle Slade, you guys should wait here for when I pound the information out of him. I don't want Kal to spend another minute under his control," she told her guardian, a hard look in her eyes.

"Nothing that any of you say would convince me otherwise," she said firmly once she saw the looks on Team Primes face.

Instead of saying anything, the bots moved out of the way, Ratchet activating the bridge. Kara floated off the ground and was about to fly through the bridge when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked to see June holding her arm.

"Be careful," she ordered, before her face hardened, "and kick his ass," she ordered.

Kara smiled, "Gladly," and flew through the bridge…

_Jump City…_

Robin let out a war cry as he slammed his staff into the side of Slades head. There was a crack as the metal pole snapped against his head, the other half spinning in the other direction.

Robin looked at his broken staff in shock, "How did you-" he was cut off as Slades fist collided with his chin, knocking Robin flying back into the air. He landed into the ground with a thud next to the other titans, all of whom were still trying to recover.

Slade stood away from the Titans as Robin slowly got back up, along with the others, "What's the matter Slade? No final speech about our imminent demise? No taunting, nothing?" he asked weakly.

Slade didn't move, standing stock still and silent. Robin opened his mouth to speak again, when a ground bridge opened up to everyone's right. A single figure emerged, Kara dressed in her super suit.

Her eyes immediately set on Slade, glowing red with anger, "YOU!" she exclaimed angrily, her voice echoing across the city.

Slade took a hesitant step back as Kara's rage could be felt by all, "You are the one who threatened my brother, turned him against us," she shot forward till she was face to face with Slade.

She grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him to eye level, "Well guess what Slade? We found your devices in everyone, we got rid of them and now he's free of your control," she told him.

His eye widened in surprise, and Kara reared back her fist. There was a loud boom as it collided with his face, sending Slade flying across the street and into through the building at the end, landing in a heap on the other side.

Kara looked to the Titans, who looked at her shocked, "You guys alright?" she asked.

Robin shook himself and nodded, "Where fine, just a little scraped up but fine," he told her.

She nodded and pointed at the bridge, "Go through the there, Team Prime's waiting. We're going to launch an assault on Slades HQ once I beat the location out of him," she explained, pounding her fist into an open palm.

Robin and the others moved to the portal before the boy wonder stopped and looked to her, "Just be careful, alright? Slades a tricky one," he warned.

Kara nodded, "I'll keep that in mind," she said, and watched as Robin followed his team.

Once they disappeared, Kara turned back to the building that Slade was just now stepping out of. He wobbled around slightly, holding a hand to his mask and clearly trying to recover. A chance that Kara wouldn't give him.

Gritting her teeth, Kara rocketed towards Slade, kicking up dirt and debris. Slade looked up and stepped back, raising his hands in a stopping gesture that Kara ignored. She slammed her shoulder into his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

She slammed him into the ground and slammed a knee on his wind pipe, preventing him from speaking, "Now," she said leaning in, "You are going to tell me where my brother is right now, or I will play dodge ball with your skull!" she threatened, raising her fist.

Slades eye widened and Kara lifted her knee off him, grabbing him by the metal collar and lifting him up, "So talk!" she ordered.

Slade said nothing, only reaching his hands up to the mask on his face. Kara looked at him confused, as Slade reached his thumbs behind his head, and a small click could be heard. He grasped the face of the mask, and flung it to the side, and Kara gasped dropping him.

"I'm happy to see you to Kara," Jack said, embracing his sister in a hard hug. Kara quickly returned it, and the two siblings stood there silently for several seconds before letting go.

Kara looked at Jack, "But how? Why?" she asked, confused by the fact that her brother was masquerading as Slade.

Jacks face grew hard, "It wasn't by choice, Slade forced me to, he knew that if the Titans saw me they and I would hold back. The mask kept me from speaking, while allowing Slade to add his two cents," Jack explained.

Jack smiled, "But you said that you got rid of those probes and nanites for everyone, right?" he asked eagerly.

She nodded and placed a hand to her ear, activating her comm., "Ratchet, its Kara, I need a bridge, I have all the Intel we need," she said and put her hand back by her side, turning to smile at Jack.

The bridge swirled to life and Kara walked to it, Jack in suit. She was about to cross threw, when she noticed Jack had stopped at the edge. She turned to look at her brother confusion plastered on her face.

Jack turned his head away in shame, "After everything I did, to everyone… I shouldn't come back. It was my fault they were put in danger to begin with," he said, looking down at the ground.

Kara frowned and walked back to her brother, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Brother, no one blames you for what you did. We know why you were working for Slade, we aren't upset with you," she said, trying to comfort him.

Jack cast a glance at her, "I…I understand that… but if I had never gotten involved… if I'd left the bots before I really got dragged in… They would have stayed safe," Jack said looking back down.

Kara smiled faintly, "And if you had you never would have found me, or hooked up with Arcee," she pointed out, and walked back to the portal, tugging on his arm.

"Now stop moping and come on through," she ordered, letting go of his arm.

Jack looked up and smiled, "Thank you Kara," he said softly.

She returned her smile, "Anytime Kal. Someone has to pull your aft out of the fire," before Jack could respond she walked through.

Jack looked hesitantly at the portal. Kara said he would be fine if he walked through. That no one blamed him for what happened. But Jack remembered the looks from the bots, the anger on their faceplates. How could they have gotten over it so easily?

He shuddered as he remember the hurt look on Arcee's faceplate. She had been so disappointed in him… How could he show his face to them now?

Then he remembered the small sound of Arcee's voice as he left, _"I love you too Jack," _she had sobbed. She thought he wouldn't hear it, but his hearing did.

Jack steeled himself and prepared to walk through. He needed to come home, needed to see everyone… needed to see Arcee…

_Autobot HQ…_

Everyone watched as Kara had flown through the bridge, and now they waited for her to walk back in. That said, the next people to come through the bridge, they were not expecting.

The Teen Titans walked through the portal, Cyborg and Beastboy holding their stomachs as they experienced their first trip through the ground bridge.

Cyborg groaned uncomfortably, "Man I feel like I ate some of BB's tofu burgers," he whined.

Beastboy just moaned, "How do you guys use that thing if it does _that _to you," he said, jerking a thumb towards the bridge.

The complaining ceased as the Titans made their way out of the bridge, and they gaped at the height of the silo, Cyborg letting out a low whistle, "Not a bad setup you guys got here, though it could use a few improvements, LED TV over there, surround sound-"

"Ep, ep, ep!" Ratchet said, "Our base is quiet fine the way it is, thank you veer much!" he exclaimed.

Cyborg's shoulders drooped, "Well isn't he a ray of sunshine," he muttered.

"Dude, this place is huge!" Beastboy said, looking around, "Where did you guys get it!?" he asked excitedly, eyes wide.

The loud boom of Optimus Primes footsteps cause the teens to turn to him, staring up at him. Their faces, minus Raven's, all portrayed the same level of shock at his size, a typical reaction to seeing the Prime for the first time.

Optimus leaned down to getter talk to the Titans, "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and I assume that you are the Teen Titans?" he asked.

Robin blinked once before shaking himself of the shock, "Yeah, we're the Titans, I'm Robin the leader, and this is Cyborg, Raven, Beastboy, and Starfire," he said, introducing the team.

Optimus nodded, "Arcee informed us about you, and it is a pleasure to meet you," he said pleasantly.

"Swe-eet!" Miko said up from the platform, "So you guys are superheroes!?" she asked excitedly.

Robin nodded, "Yep, we've been stationed at Jump City for over a year now, fighting crime and stopping super-criminals," he said.

"Dude that is so awesome! So what are your powers!?" she asked.

Cyborg slapped his face and groaned, "Great, it's like having a girl version of Beastboy," he grumbled to himself.

"Hey!" Beastboy shouted indignantly, "I'm right here you know!"

"And your point is…" Raven said. Beastboy crossed his arms and started grumbling to himself.

"Anyway," Robin said, turning back to Optimus, "Have you guys had any luck finding Jack? We've checked all over the city, and found nothing,"

Optimus frowned, "We have…" Optimus said hesitantly.

"Well good, lets head on over to Slades base, and lay the beat down on his butt so we can rescue him!" Cyborg said.

"I am afraid it is not that simple. Up until recently, Slade as been blackmailing Jack into working for him by threatening the safety of our human allies, and Arcee's as well," Optimus explained.

Robin clenched his fists while the other Titans looked at him sympathetically, "You mean he's turned someone else into his apprentice?" he asked angrily.

"What do you mean apprentice?" Arcee, who'd remained relatively silent to this point, asked.

"Slade has done this before. He lured me away from my team and threatened to kill them using nanobots that would attack their cells if I didn't become his apprentice. I only broke free once I inserted _myself_ with the nanites," Robin explained.

"Well you don't need to worry about that anymore, ol'docbot over there destroyed them pretty easy," Miko said motioning to Ratchet, who was talking to Kara over the comm.

"I was only doing my job," he said dismissively, before pulling the lever and opening the bridge.

Everyone waited for Kara to walk through for several seconds, before she finally did, stepping lightly through, "Kara, did you find Jack?" June asked as she ran down from the platform towards her adopted daughter.

Kara smiled and stepped to the side as another figure walked through the bridge, "Hi," Jack said sheepishly, waving his hand at the stunned bots.

June recovered fast though, and embraced her son, "JACK!" she cried as she hugged him, tears of relief streaming down her face.

"I was so worried, after you attacked base and then…" she broke down into sobs as Jack slowly returned the hug.

"It's okay mom, everything's fine now," he whispered quietly to her.

"I thought after losing you after Zod attacked was bad enough… but this… this was worse," she sobbed quietly.

Jack eased himself away from his mom and tilted her head up, "Its fine now mom, Slades threat over you all is gone, once this is all over things will turn back to the way they were," he promised.

June smiled and wiped the tears out of her eyes, "Good, because if you ever do that again, you're grounded young man," she threatened lightly.

Jack smiled and looked up at the others, who were stunned that he was here. He walked towards them, his mother and sister trailing as he walked fully out of the bridge. The Titans in particular seemed shocked by this development, since Jack was still in the attire Slade had forced on him.

"Jack…how did you…" Robin didn't finish, he was still confused, the Titans matching his confused look.

Jack looked to Cyborg, "You throw a mean punch Cyborg," he said rubbing his jaw.

Cyborg's eyes widened, "How did you… That was you!?" he asked suddenly, his voice raising in shock.

Jack nodded, "Slade forced me to wear a mask like his. He knew that you guys wouldn't hold back if you didn't know it was me. And I would be forced to fight back," Jack explained.

"Why not tell us in some way Slade wouldn't pick up on?" Raven asked.

"I tried, I always showed off my powers the best I could. Slades strong, but he could never leap fifty feet in the air," Jack replied, crossing his arms.

Robin and the others rubbed the back of their heads embarrassed, "Guess we should have picked up on that, huh?" he asked sheepishly.

Jack shrugged, "No harm done, I was holding back through the fight, trying to go easy on you all. Slade didn't make it easy," Jack said.

"Speaking of old one eye," Bulkhead said, "Why exactly did he have you attack the base?"

Jack lifted into the air so he could address everyone. His gaze drifted to Arcee, who's optics met his eyes. The emotion in them wasn't anger or disappointment, not even the affection he was used to seeing. It was love, simple as that.

Jack smiled faintly at the femme before returning his attention on everyone, "The reason Slade sent me, as Ratchet and Raf probably figured out, was to steal the ground bridge software system. He needed it to complete his _own_ ground bridge," Jack explained.

There was a collective gasp from everyone assembled, "Wait, how could Slade possibly have figured out how to build a ground bridge?" Ratchet asked.

Jack shrugged, "I don't know, he already had most of it finished when he started blackmailing me. All I know is that he sent me out to get the last two components, a power supply, and a software to run it,"

"Meaning that he can send his forces anywhere in the world," Robin said angrily.

"But I plan on stopping him," Jack declared, floating back down on the platform.

"And we will assist you," Optimus said, the other bots nodding.

"I appreciate the gesture Optimus, but Slades base is too small for you guys, and if we used the mass-shifter you'd be more susceptible to damage," Jack said. He knew they wanted to help and was touched, but he didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of him.

"You do not get a say in the matter Jack," Void said crossing her arms, "This Slade is a threat to all, and going after him alone for petty vengeance will solve nothing,"

Jack clenched his fists and glared at the femme, "This isn't just about revenge against Slade Void, this is making sure to put a stop to him. Slade used me, abused me, forced me to use my powers to further his own ends all the while taunting me. And I couldn't do a damn thing! Because if I did, everyone I knew or care for would die before my eyes!" he yelled at her.

He narrowed his eyes, "But I suppose that someone who's as cold as her name wouldn't know what that's like," he growled angrily.

Void looked like she was about to respond just as angrily when Robins voice cut between them, "Enough!" he yelled, causing everyone to look at the boy wonder.

Robin looked up at Jack, "Look, Jack, you're not the only one that Slade has used. I know how it feels. But right now we need to focus on our real enemy. Slades hideout is heavily guarded, correct?"

Jack nodded, calming himself, "It is, though he's moved most of his forces into the main area by the bridge. The group he had me lead was barely a tenth of his forces," he answered.

"Okay, what we'll help you take down Slade, the Autobots should be able to provide a distraction from the outside. Slades robots aren't much of a match for Cybertronian tech," Robin explained.

"An excellent suggestion Robin," Optimus said and looked to Jack, "You know the coordinates, correct?"

Jack nodded, "I do," he replied and floated over to Ratchet and told him the coordinates of Slades HQ…

_Slades HQ…_

Explosions shook the base as the Autobots began their outer assault on the base, attacking Slades forces on the outside. They shot, crushed, and destroyed any and everything on the base, breezing through his forces with ease. More of his robotic forces began to poor from the entrances of the base as they assaulted, seemingly unaware of the Titans, Jack, and Kara entering from an entrance he only knew of.

The group quickly made their way down the halls, Jack flying ahead and leading them to the main lobby where he knew that Slade awaited them. He clenched his fists as he flew, anger flowing through him. Unlike before though when he was enraged, this was a cold rage, one that had been left to simmer for days as Jack endured Slade.

Of course this also left the teen completely silent as they moved through the halls, something Kara noticed as she flew next to him, "Kal, are you alright?" she asked worry obvious in her voice.

"I'm fine," he answered coldly. Ever since he'd entered the base he'd been like this, and Kara didn't like it.

"Look, Kal if this is too much-" she was interrupted as Jack shot her a glare.

"I can handle this Kara," he told her, "I'm fine, just… antsy,"

He stopped as they reached a door and turned to the Titans, "He's right through that door," he said motioning to it, "And I'll say it one more time, the bulk of his forces are through there, you sure you can handle it?"

Cyborg snorted, "Man we've handled Slades goons before, and with you and Kara here he won't stand a chance," he said dismissively.

"We should still be careful, no telling what Slade has planned," Raven warned.

"Raven has a point, but we're ready Jack," Robin said, nodding to the teen.

Jack nodded back and turned towards the door. He reared his fist back, and shot his fist forward, punching the door clean off its hinges, sending it flying and clattering against the concrete door. He and everyone else walked through and froze at the sight before them.

A sea of Slades Hench-bots and shock troopers were all turned towards them, their blasters armed and aimed at them. The number was staggering, so thick that one could barely tell where one robot ended and the other began. There had to be hundreds, thousands, tens-of thousands!

And standing on a floating platform above them, was Slade.

He regarded the teens submissively, "So my apprentice, you've come back to play?"

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Yeah sorry I did intend to finish the Slade trilogy here, but decided it would have been too long for what I have planned and my update was taking too long. So the final battle and conclusion will take place in the next chapter followed by…. A filler chapter that YOU yes YOU the audience gets to suggest. Anything you want, leave it in the reviews, PM me, I will listen to them all, and eventually decide what I want. Only one rule, no lemon or smut, I do not write that and will not write that. Besides that just about anything I will consider. Please suggest ideas, and if you don't have anything, review the chapter, let me know what you liked, disliked, or were neutral about. And if you have any questions PM me, I will respond. Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Retribution

_Outside Slades HQ…_

Arcee punted a Hench-bot across the ground, watching as its body skipped across the floor breaking apart. She turned and fired at another group approaching on her right and smirked as they melted under her barrage of fire. The robots might have been strong against humans, but against the Autobots they didn't stand a chance. There was a boom behind her and Arcee whirled to see a smoking crater under Bulkheads mace.

The wrecker blinked his optics a few times in surprise before looking at the others, "The big white ones have a self destruct," he warned, shaking his servo.

Optimus nodded, "Autobots, maintain your distance," he ordered, and shifted his servos to blaster form.

He spotted a shock trooper in the midst of several Hench-bots, and straightened his arm aiming at the large shock trooper. The blue energy of his shot zoomed through the air and connected with the shock trooper. In a flash of white, it and the robots around it were incinerated a small explosion. All that remained was a neat crater in the ground that sizzled slightly.

All other Autobots followed the Primes example, and explosions began cropping up in Slades forces. Neat little craters were left in the ground every time, and the numbers of Slades army began to dwindle.

Arcee leapt up and rapidly fired at the approaching machines, melting them into slag. She landed and rolled forward, arm blade extended. There was a screech of metal as she cut through three robots as easily as a knife through butter. Their upper bodies slid off and fell to the ground with a light thud, twitching occasionally.

Arcee stood up and looked to see the others were handling Slades forces fine. Bee and Bulkhead were sticking together as always, Optimus was keeping the robots a fair distance away, and…. Arcee looked around. Where was Voidwalker?

_Inside Slades HQ…_

"So my apprentice, you've come back," Slade said from atop his floating platform. The smugness was evident in his voice.

Jack clenched his fists and glared at Slade, saying nothing. His sea of machines below Slade was enough to keep the boy from saying anything too rash. It was best if he just waited for the right time to strike, along with the others.

"And I see you have brought the Titans with you," Slade observed calmly, "Well done,"

"We're taking you down Slade!" Robin declared, glaring at the man behind his own mask.

Slade smirked, "I applaud your enthusiasm Robin, but you seem to be unaware of your current situation," he said, looking to his army.

He looked back up at the group of super-powered teens below him and narrowed his eye, "I want Jack and his sister alive. Dispose of the rest," he ordered.

Every blaster and weapon could be heard whirring to life and was pointed at the seven. Slades platform lifted higher into the air out of their reach. Creaking and clanking could be heard, and several metal sheets slowly emerged from the sides and folded out. Like a blooming flower, the sheets of metal slowly folded shut over him, keeping him safe from them… For now.

"I take it you have a plan?" Jack whispered to Robin as everyone took their fighting stances. Jack and Kara raised their fists. Robin folded out his staff and held it at the ready. Green energy engulfed Starfire's hands, Raven's eyes started glowing a furious white, and Cyborg armed his sonic cannon aiming it into the mass of enemies. Beastboy morphed into a T-Rex.

"Just one," Robin responded quietly, "TITANS, GO!" he yelled.

Beastboy charged forward lowering his head and roaring. Hench-bots were knocked out of the way, crushed, or torn apart by the large reptilian creature as he plowed into the sea of creatures. He lifted his large head back up and let out a vicious roar as he swung to the side in front of the group. His tail swept dozens of the robots to the side, tearing them apart with ease.

With a now clear area in front of them, the teens attacked. Raven disappeared in a flash of black energy and reappeared over a large group of the enemies. Her hands were covered in black energy, and the same energy engulfed several bots and crushed them. She swung her arms to either side and watched as the bodies went flying into the mass of enemies.

By now the army had reacted to the assault, and initiated a counter attack. Several energy blasts whizzed by Raven who turned to see more enemies attacking her. She thrust her hands out in front of her and called upon her magic to form a black energy shield around her to block the blasts. Each blast ricochet off her shield, but each hit took its toll on her. The barrage was too much and she could see cracks starting to form.

There was a loud crack as her shield cracked, bits of the energy flying away before fading out of existence. She shielded her face and tried flying between the blasts as the Hench-bots fired at her. She let out a pained grunt as several blasts hit her, and she fell to the ground below.

There was a blur of movement, as Jack caught her midair. He flew with the teen in his arms and landed on one of the platforms along the edge of wall. He knelt down slightly still holding her as the girl looked at him perplexed, "You alright?" he asked.

She pulled her hood up tighter, "I'm fine, you can let me down now," she said calmly. Jack lowered her onto her feet and stood back up.

He turned to regard the chaos of battle as the Titans and his sister engaged Slades forces before looking back to Raven, "You still able to fight?" he asked with concern.

"I'll be fine, I just need a moment," she told him, "You… should help the others,"

Jack nodded and shot back into the air, looking for who it was that needed the most help. He could go after Slade, but right now he needed to thin this army out first before he did. He stopped scanning the area as he saw Beastboy was surrounded by robots. He was in the form of a grizzly bear, lashing out with his large paws and standing on his hind legs.

He roared a challenge at the bots before falling back to his paws and barreling forward towards them. He crashed into them, knocking several over his shoulders before pouncing one of them. He lifted up and started tearing into the robot, his sharp claws cutting clean through metal of the robot.

Several of the bots leapt on his back, slowly overwhelming him and burying him under a mound of metal. The pile shrank slightly, before a new creature broke through the mass of robots, a large anklyosaur that broke free and twisted its large tail to knock several away.

Beastboy morphed to human form and collapsed to his knees, "Whew, I need to start working out more," he muttered to himself. He looked up to see the robots were closing in on him.

He stood back up, "Alright you pieces of junk, you want a piece of me!? Well come get it!" he challenged and shifted into a large elephant letting out a trumpeting challenge.

Jack landed next to the green elephant and slammed his hands to the ground. A large shockwave moved forward knocking several of the bots over and making the others unsteady, "You handle those ones, I've got your back," Jack informed the shape-shifter.

Beastboy's response was to charge into the sea of enemies trumpeting loudly. Jack sighed, "Or not," he muttered to himself.

He looked at the other side of the army that was approaching and firing at hm. Several shots pinged off him, leaving a slight fuzzy feeling but otherwise unharmed. Jack shrugged and shot forward to attack the army he once lead. His fist shoved through the firsts one chest, shattering steel and metals with ease.

He pulled his fist out and grabbed the hand of one trying to strike him. He snapped its arm with a flick of his wrist and punched it back into the sea of enemies for it to be quickly engulfed. He looked forward, his heat vision cutting through several of the robots. He shook his head once it died down and dodged a blast, spinning on his heel.

He looked at the offender, and shot forward, blinking between each bot. Every time he briefly appeared he kicked, punched, or tore apart one of Slade's Hench-bots with his bare hands. He appeared in front of one of them, ducked down, and shot his fist up. The bots head went flying off and landed on the ground with a thud rolling across the ground.

Jack ducked under attack from behind, flipping the assailant over him. He kicked out and launched it into several others. The bots stumbled back with the weight of their comrade on them, falling onto their backs. Jack ignored the spectacle and heard a different blasting sound; a blue beam shot in front of him, taking out another Hench-bot.

Jack turned in the direction it came from, only to see Cyborg, "Boo yah!" he cheered, grabbing a robot by the arm and flinging it into the air. Jack narrowed his eyes, and a scarlet beam lanced through its midsection, cleaving it in two.

"Jeez man, where have you been?" Cyborg asked, punching through a Hench-bots head.

"Oh you know, killing robots, performing incredible feats of strength," Jack quipped as he ripped a bot in two, "The usual,"

"You too huh?" Cyborg asked as he fired his sonic cannon into a line of three Hench-bots.

Jack ducked and kneed one of the bots in the stomach, shattering its internal equipment, "Just another day at the office I guess," he said.

He looked to the right to see a large shock trooper charging towards the duo. Jack and Cyborg looked to each other before grinning. Cyborg backed up, bracing himself while Jack cupped his hands.

The teen took off, sprinting at Jack. He stepped into his hands, and Jack heaved launching Cyborg towards the white shock trooper. He reared his fist back as he crashed into it, and slammed it forward. Chips of white metal flew off from the impact, and the machine toppled backwards. Cyborg proceeded to pound it into dust with his hands until the trooper stopped moving.

Cyborg stood up from the destroyed bot in time to see several more lined up and aiming at him, "Oh boy!" he yelled and crossed his arms in front of him to block what was coming.

Instead, three disks slammed into them, obscuring their vision of the troopers as Robin landed next them. A barrage of star bolts quickly followed, destroying all but two of the troopers, Starfire joining the group. They didn't last long as Kara slammed into one, gripping it by the pincer. With a loud cry she flung it into the sea of enemies. It flashed white as it landed, and the boom followed milliseconds later.

The remaining one was engulfed in black energy as Raven materialized by the others, her hands held up and eyes glowing. A large green T-Rex appeared behind it and ripped it apart with its jaw before morphing to a hawk and flying over. Beastboy landed in front of them before turning to look at his handiwork.

"Ah yeah! Beastboy one, psycho robots zerooo!" he yelled excitedly.

"You might want to recount that score," Jack said looking around. They'd been tearing Slades forces apart, and yet it barely made a dent.

"Raven, we need a shield!" Robin ordered. The girl nodded and raised her hands. In seconds a shield of semi-transparent black energy covered the entire group from the army.

Robin and the others gathered around "This isn't working, there are too many of them for us to handle like this. We need to find a way to shut them down from the source," Robin stated and looked to Jack.

"I think that platform Slade is on _might _ be able to shut his army down," he looked unsure of himself, "But Slade kept most of his plans a secret from me, only told me what he wanted me to know,"

Robin narrowed his eyes, "Okay, we'll keep his forces occupied, you and Kara deal with Slade," he ordered.

A grin spread across both their faces and they nodded, "With pleasure," Jack said.

Robin turned to Raven and nodded. The girl nodded in response and let out a grateful sigh as the shield dropped around them. Blaster fire whizzed past all of them, causing the group to split up. Jack and Kara flew into the air and stopped, floating across from Slades platform.

The two Kryptonians circled it slowly, landing on either side of the metal shell that hid Slade from them. Jack slammed his fist into the metal, feeling it easily give way. He pulled it out of the neat hole he'd made and gripped either side. Jack grunted and heaved at the hole, tearing open a hole slightly smaller than himself and stepping through, Kara doing the same on the other side.

The inside was well lit, showing several terminals lining the walls of the enclosure. Against the wall to the left was Slade, looking over a terminal. The man slowly straightened up and turned to look at Jack and Kara, his one eye betraying no sign of emotion.

"It's over Slade, shut down your army," Jack ordered, his eyes flickering red.

A low chuckle emanated from Slade, "Did you think that you're family and friends were the only insurance I had against you Jack?" Slade asked.

Jack glared at him, "Whatever you think it is that can stop me Slade, it won't help you," he growled and the two stepped forward.

Slade's eye narrowed, "You might think so," he said and reached into one of the pockets of his belt, "But even you were unaware of this," he said, pulling the object out of his belt.

He held in his fingers, a large glowing purple gem, gently holding it in his fingers. Waves of weakness rolled over Jack and Kara, both teens falling to their knees as they felt their powers fade. Slade pressed a button with his free hand on the terminal, and the canopy opened up allowing the sounds of combat to grow louder and more fierce.

"Curious, isn't it Jack?" Slade asked, "That a mineral of unearthly origins would have an effect like this on you," he said and waved the gem in front of the two, causing waves of weakness to continue to roll over them. Jack eyed the stone weakly, wondering what it was when it hit him. The sudden weakness, the glowing purple color. He only knew of one substance that had made him feel that way.

The two fell on their hands and Slade almost seemed to be smiling under his mask, "Where… where did you get a piece of Dark Energon?" Jack asked weakly.

"It wasn't easy, but I found the location of the former Autobot that Megatron tested it on and plucked it clean. This is just a personal piece, I have far more elsewhere," Slade explained, "I am pleased to find the effects were as immediate as I'd hoped," Slade said circling Jack.

He stopped in front of him, and kicked his leg up. Jacks entire upper body flew up and back as he landed on his back. His head hit the steel floor with an audible crack, and spots flashed through his vision for a moment. Jack lay there stunned for a moment before he felt a hot substance dripping from his nose. He brought his hand to it and brought it back to see blood on his fingers. _His blood._

"K-Kal," Kara said weakly trying to reach to her brother. Slade slammed a foot on her hand, causing her to scream loudly in pain.

"I wouldn't do that my dear," Slade said calmly, his foot still on her hand. Kara glared up at him, and to emphasize his point, Slade twisted his boot on her hand, eliciting another scream from her.

"Slade stop!" Jack yelled weakly, trying to get to his feet, "I'm the one you want, leave my sister alone," he said as he stood tapping into a hidden reserve of strength he didn't know he had. It didn't matter, Slade was hurting his sister, he couldn't. No, wouldn't let him get away with that.

Slade seemed amused by Jacks statement, and moved the shard of Dark Energon to rest more comfortably in his fist. He stepped off Kara, who immediately cradled her hand and walked to Jack, "You aren't in the condition to make demands Jack, you can barely stand," Slade pointed out.

Jack weakly adopted his fighting position, "Doesn't matter… I have to stop you," he replied.

Slade laughed, "How quaint," he said. Moving quick as a flash, Slade spun on his heel and the base of his foot connected with Jacks face. Jack spun as he hit the ground, cradling his face as he felt several faint cuts on it.

"Without your powers Jack, you are weak, pathetic," Slade said and made his way back to Kara.

"It's time I taught you a lesson in obedience," he said and knelt down, taking a fist full of Kara's long black hair in his hand. He ignored her protest, and yanked up. Hard.

Kara screamed in pain as he lifted the girl by her hair, and walked to the edge of the platform, dangling her off the edge, "No! Please Slade don't!" Jack begged, trying to get to his feet.

"Oh it's much too late for that now Jack," Slade said still dangling her. He took another piece of Dark Energon he had and clipped it to Kara's neck with a metal necklace.

"You have disobeyed your master Jack, and now you will pay the price," he told him, and let go.

"KARA!"

A blur of black darted out of nowhere, grabbing Kara and landing on the platform. A human sized Voidwalker stood cradling her charge, her visor glaring menacingly at Slade. She looked down at Kara who seemed shocked by the development, though the Dark Energon was still weakening her.

Void plucked it off her neck and examined the gem before redirecting her cold gaze at Slade, completely silent. She carefully set Kara down to the side and stood back up, the shard still held in her servo. With a quick movement, she shattered it in her servo and flung the shards off the platform to the ground below.

Once they were gone, Jack got back to his feet, his injuries healing quickly. He turned to Slade with a look of pure anger on his face, but Void beat him to the punch. Literally. Slade went flying off the platform as Void knocked him across the face, causing him to crash into a lower platform.

"Take care of your sister," Void ordered and leapt off the platform after Slade.

Jack looked hesitantly before rushing to Kara's side to make sure she was okay, "Did… Voidwalker just falcon punch Slade off the platform?" Kara asked as she rubbed her head.

Jack blinked a few times confused, "I… guess, where'd you learn that term?" he asked.

"Internet," she replied with a straight face.

Voidwalker landed on the platform that Slade had crashed into, the latter having gotten to his feet and was brushing himself off. The criminal looked up at Voidwalker and narrowed his eye, "Ah, the silent one, how nice to have finally met you," he said mockingly.

Void said nothing as she approached him, her mask hiding her features. There was a shift of metal and her left arm shifted to a blaster and she stopped. She raised her arm and held it level, the barrel pointing at his head.

"So you intend to kill me," Slade said calmly, standing straight with his arms crossed behind him, "Funny,"

He sprinted forward fast, faster than any human could have and pushed her arm up, a knife to her throat, "I had the same intention," he said, his voice an eerie calm, "The blade is made of Cybertronian alloy, it _will _cut through your armor," he informed her

There was a soft noise of shifting metal, and he glanced down to see her wrist blade pressed against his mid section, "Clever," he praised, before dropping his knife, letting go of Voids arm and re-grabbing both. He struggled against her for several seconds before receiving a knee to the stomach.

He doubled over and she twisted, flinging him across the ground. She shifted her servos to both blades and charged Slade as he got to his feet. He dodged and backpedaled as the femme slashed at him, his reflexes were incredibly fast, super-human almost. She round housed Slade across the face and brought her blades up to bisect him.

Slade leapt backwards, landing on his hands and pushing himself into the air and landing on the ground feet splayed. He pulled a piece of metal out of his belt and it extended into a metal staff similar to Robins. He twirled it expertly in his hands, swinging it around his arms and upper body before stopping, posed and ready to fight Void.

Void jumped into the air, whipping her legs around and kicking at Slade. The man used his staff to block her kicks and leaned back, dodging her bladed arms. He whipped back arm and swung the staff around, whacking it across Voidwalker's mask with a resounding crack.

Her head was twisted to the side, and she slowly looked back up, glaring at Slade, "I have trained all over the world for decades Autobot. Your skills are great, but you have never fought someone of my fighting styles," he claimed.

Void ignored his boast and resumed her attack, her blades flashing through the air at a deadly speed. Slade was forced to eat his words as her blades chipped away at the staff and several small cuts appeared on his arm. A long one reached across his metal collar just below the neck.

Void dodged under a blow of his and brought her blade up in an upper arch, catching Slade in the mask. His head whipped back as he took a step backwards. He slowly looked back at her, a long gash running along the orange half of his mask over his eye.

He ran a finger over the gash slowly before bringing it in front of him. His eye shot up and looked at Voidwalker, "So that's how it's going to be?" he asked calmly. He dropped the staff, letting it fall to the floor with a clatter and raised a closed fist at Voidwalker.

"I don't just wear this suit for the fashion statement," he deadpanned. Before another thing could be said, his entire right fist shifted and changed into a blaster… Like a Cybertronians.

Though she said nothing the shock was evident, "You seem shocked. Let's just say that I lost the old one a long time ago," Slade told her, "and it was time for an upgrade. My entire body is littered with Cybertronian implants," he reached into his belt and pulled out a piece of Dark Energon.

"Including a mixed system that allows me to use any form of Energon," Void took off, charging at him, aiming to end him. But Slade shoved the piece into his Cybertronian arm.

Purple energy shot into the blaster, and traveled up his arm. In seconds his whole form was traced in purple lines of Dark Energon. Void was within striking distance when Slade stepped back even faster. He lined up his blaster to her midsection, and fired.

The purple energy blast collided with her midsection and sent the human sized Void flying back across the room. At her normal size her armor would have easily brushed it off. But the disadvantage to the mass -shifter was that one became weaker and less durable when they used it.

Void was sent careening against the floor and skid to a stop. She clutched her side and found that her wound had re opened again, Energon weakly pouring through her servo. She looked up at Slade, who was casually approaching her, his arm having shifted into a blade.

"I intended to save this as a surprise for Jack," Slade said admiring his bladed arm, "But I suppose ending you life will be just as pleasant!" he yelled and ran forward fueled by Dark Energon.

Void used her free hand to block the blow as Slade went on the offensive, his blows moving faster and stronger than ever, "Strengthened skeletal structure, enhanced strength, optic replacements, Energon circulatory system. All of these things make me more than a match for the likes of you!" he snarled.

"Frag you Organic!" she hissed as she dodged another blow.

"Ooh was that supposed to hurt Void? Like the modifications to your form?" Slade asked.

There was only a slight hitch in Voids movements as she fought, but it was enough for Slade to keep pressing forward, "I know much about you Voidwalker. You act distant from the others, watching observing. Is it because you don't want to get attached, to lose more comrades?" Slade asked mockingly locking his blade with hers, "Or is it because you know that they would never accept such a mismatched monster into your ranks,"

Voids other hand grabbed his blade and snapped it, "You know nothing of me Organic," she said, her voice cold and dead.

Slade leapt back and kicked up into her jaw knocking her back, "I know that you are deeply modified, I know that you hide a scarred face behind that mask," he snarled as he shifted his hand back to normal and pulled another knife.

Void charged and slashed at him with both arms, ignoring her wound for now. Slade ducked and weaved under the blows and stepped inside her guard. There was a low hitch and Void froze as the knife entered her wound.

"And I know that you've lied to the Autobots since day one. I have more knowledge of Cybertrons past and their figure heads than anyone else," he whispered into her audio receptor before twisting the knife in her wound, " The Decepticon database was simple to hack. I know who you are, who you where… Celestial,"

Her spark hammered and she whispered. "Celestial is dead. There is only the Void." And unsheathed her smaller blade into his stomach.

Slade looked down at the blade in his stomach and stepped back, leaving the knife in her midsection. He looked back up at her with amusement in his eye, "My dear, you may claim to be whoever you want, but you'll never run from who you once were,"

His fist flew forward and slammed into her side next to the knife, and she fell to the ground gritting her denta in pain, "You should be dead organic," she growled.

"Did you honestly think you are the first person to stab me? That my modifications would make such a gesture useless. The wound is already sealed my dear," Slade said, and gripped her by the throat, lifting her off the ground till he could stare into her visor.

"It really is quiet a shame though, Celestial. From what I saw you were once quiet beautiful. I wonder, why give up so much to become what you are. Was it out of boredom, lust," he paused, "love?"

Void let her optics flicker, "Wouldn't you like to know," she growled.

Slade said something, but it was lost as a scarlet beam lanced out and cut his robotic arm clean off. Slade stepped back and growled in pain from the blow. Kara and Jack landed next to the femme, the former picking her guardian up.

"Use the ground bridge to get her back to base," Jack ordered and looked to the man cradling the stump of his arm, "I'll handle Slade," he growled. Kara nodded and flew off carrying her guardian.

Slade glared at Jack as he shoved the stump of his prosthetic under his armpit, blood and dark Energon leaking from the wound, "This ends now Slade," Jack promised him.

"You think tha-" Jack shot forward and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"Shut. Up. No more speeches, no more taunting. I promised I would get you back for what you did to me and my family Slade," Jack growled and brought him face to face, "And I _always_ keep my promises,"

With a flick of his wrist, Slade went flying backwards and slammed into the wall with a pained yell and a crack. He got up weakly, only for Jack to appear in front of him. Slade ran forward and punched, only for Jack to appear to his side. He grabbed his arm and twisted it to the side, forcing him to his knees. The Dark Energon flowing through his veins did little to weaken Jack, it wasn't in thick enough quantities to give Slade an advantage.

"You threatened my friends," Jack said and flung him across the room, causing him to skid across the floor.

Slade got up and punched and kicked at Jack, who effortlessly dodged each attack, "You threatened my family," he said and punched upwards, knocking Slade into the air.

Jack grabbed his foot, "But worst of all," he slammed him face first into the ground, shattering the concrete of the platform. Jack let go of Slades leg and the man started to pull himself forward, gasping for breath, "You threatened the woman I love," he growled, and slammed his foot on Slades other hand.

"GAH!" he screamed as the bones in his hand snapped.

Jack reached down and pulled him face to mask, "I could see what you looked like, rip off the stupid fragging mask, expose you to the world," Jack growled before tossing him to the ground and looking to the Titans that assembled before him watching.

Jack knelt next to Slade, "But seeing how broken, how pathetic you are… I don't need to see your face to know it. You have nothing Slade, you are nothing. And if you _EVER _come near me, my friends, or family, I _will _kill you," Jack growled.

Slade looked up at him, blood and Dark Energon leaking from his wounds, "Is…that…a threat?" he asked weakly.

Jack ran his finger down his ribs, each one snapping loudly, causing Slade to scream in pain, "It's a promise,"

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack stood across from the Titans in front of the ground bridge as they had said their goodbyes, and now Jack was the only one left. He was finally dressed in his civilian clothes, having destroyed the outfit Slade had forced him to wear. Now though that man would be spending the next few decades in prison, his forces and bridge destroyed.

Everyone had returned to base afterwards, Void having eventually been restrained and put under by Ratchet who was finally able to fully seal her wound. Kara had refused to leave, wanting to stay with her Guardian no matter what. Ratchet had eventually allowed it, and let the girl stay.

Now only one thing was left for them to do, "Here," Jack said handing the communicator to Robin.

"I don't think I need it anymore," he said as the boy wonder looked at the device.

Robin looked up and smiled, "Nonsense, all honorary Titans have a communicator, lets us keep in touch," he replied calmly.

Jack looked at him shocked, "You… after everything that happened?" he asked amazed.

"Dude, you helped us take down Slade!" Beastboy exclaimed.

"We could use someone like you… on our side," Raven admitted quietly.

"Oh yes indeed, it would be much fun to have you be a part of the team!" Starfire said excitedly.

Jack looked at the yellow communicator in his hands and back up, "I… I'm honored," he said and extended a hand, "Thanks… for everything," he said.

Robin shook his hand, "Don't mention it, and if you ever have any trouble with Slade again, you know who to call," Robin said with a smile. That said, the group turned and exited the base walking through the bridge.

"Well that was awesome," Miko said calmly for once.

"You think we'll work with them again?" Raf asked.

Jack shrugged, "Hopefully we'll meet again under better circumstances," he replied.

At that moment the sound of an elevator opening could be heard and Starscream emerged, "I searched for 12 hours and I found nothing! Absolutely-" he trailed off as he saw everyone in base looking at him, even Jack.

He flung his servos in the air and walked off muttering to himself angrily and making his way to his quarters. Everyone chuckled lightly at this and Jack looked at the communicator again. Another team, another group of teenage outcasts to call friends. Slade was wrong, meeting the Autobots had been one of the best things to happen to him…

_Atop the Autobot HQ…_

Jack and Arcee sat atop the HQ, the former resting in the latter's lap as even at human size she was a good six or seven inches taller than him. He didn't care that much, he was with the femme he loved watching the sunset together. Who sat in who's lap didn't matter to him. What did matter though…

Jack looked up at his girlfriends elegant faceplate and smiled. She noticed and met his eyes with her optics, "Something on your mind Partner?" she asked.

Jack shook his head, "No, just admiring how beautiful you are," he replied truthfully, earning a faint smile from her.

"You know, I never got to really say it before Arcee," Jack continued. Arcee raised an optic ridge as he elaborated, "I never really told you how much I-" he was cut off as Arcee kissed him on the lips lightly.

She pulled away slightly, "I know Jack, I love you too," she said quietly not wanting to say anything more.

Jack looked at her confused, "Even after all that just hap-" she cut him off again by placing a servo to his lips.

"Not another word Jack. You were gone and now you're back, far as I'm concerned that's all that matters," she said quietly, "Now let's just enjoy the view,"

Jack nodded and turned back towards the sunset, enjoying the view as another chapter in his life came to a close…

**A/N: Apologies for not posting yesterday, School kills my creative mind. Anyway, what did you guys think of the chapter, specifically the fights with Slade. Were they good bad suspenseful shocking? I must know! And you know how you let me know? Use that little review box below. Or PM me, that works too. Either way works, and tomorrow we get the filler. What's after the filler you ask? Why, the season 1 finale of course! Or essentially the end of part 1! Who's gonna be the villain? No guessing quiet yet, I'll ask for those next chapter. bye!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Pasts and Romances

_Atop Autobot HQ…_

Jack lay wrapped in Arcee's arms atop the base enjoying her presence in the starry moon lit night. Puffy clouds dotted the sky, but besides that the stars and moon lit up the night as the two lovers watched the clouds pass over head.

"Was it like this on Cybertron?" Jack asked quietly.

Arcee tilted her head down at him, "What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"At night, were the stars always lit up like this?" Jack explained to her.

Understanding dawned on her faceplate and she shook her head, "No, the lights of the cities always blocked them out. I heard that if you went out far enough into the sea of rust you could see them… But I never imagined it looked like this," Arcee told him.

"You never left the cities?" Jack asked.

"Cybertron was mostly city Jack," Arcee replied, "Not exactly a lot of rural areas,"

Jack smirked, "Who knew I'd wind up dating a city girl?" he quipped.

Arcee nudged him slightly, "You're one to talk country boy," she replied inciting chuckles from both.

Once the laughs died down, Arcee looked back up at the stars, "It is beautiful though…" she said wistfully.

A sudden idea occurred to Jack and he stood up out of her arms and held out a hand. Arcee looked at him confused, "Ever been flying before?" he asked her.

The reluctance was obvious on Arcee's faceplate, "I don't know Jack, the time you and I flew to your house was one thing but this…" Jack grabbed her servo and tugged at her arm excitedly.

"Come on Arcee, it'll be fun," he said tugging lightly. Arcee refused to move and Jack sighed, "I promise I won't drop you," he said with a smile.

Arcee let out an exasperated sigh and smiled, "Fine, you win Jack," she said and let her boyfriend pull her to her pedes.

"Got anywhere in mind?" Arcee asked him.

Jack smiled and shook his head, "Nowhere but up," he told her as he gripped her servo.

"Wait what?" Arcee asked, right as Jack lifted into the air holding her servo.

Arcee let out a surprised yell as the two took off into the air, the femme trailing slightly behind her boyfriend. She made the mistake of looking down at the shrinking landscape and let out a surprised yelp. She quickly pulled herself onto Jack and gripped onto his shoulders.

Jack chuckled at the femmes fear of heights, earning him an indignant glare and a thump on his chest, "It's not funny," she growled as she held onto him.

"It's a little funny," Jack replied chuckling lightly.

Arcee looked to the side and grumbled to herself as Jack gently flew through the air. The wind flowed over their frames as they flew silently over the lightless ground below. Slowly, Arcee started to get over her fear and began to look down and around at the world as the two flew.

She was amazed at how different the world felt so high in the air, everything seemed so small so… insignificant. Things that seemed big to her on the ground, mountains, mesas, or cliffs. They all seemed so small from up in the air with her boyfriend.

"You seem to have calmed down," Jack commented, causing Arcee to look at him.

"It's just so… different up here," Arcee said, "Is this why you and Kara always fly?" she asked.

"Partly," Jack said, "Of course you haven't quiet felt what it really feels like," Jack told her.

Arcee eyed him suspiciously, "Jack, what are you planning?" she asked warily.

Jack grinned and said nothing. Instead, he straightened the arm holding Arcee to him as they flew, causing the femme to let out a surprised yell, "Jack!?" she demanded fearfully, earning a laugh from Jack. He gripped her servo tightly and held her out to his side, keeping his arm extended.

Arcee held herself closely to Jacks arm gripping it tightly as she wobbled uncertainly in the air, "Extend both your arms," he told her, and the femme looked at him with uncertainty.

Jack laughed again, "I won't drop you Arcee, it'll stabilize you," he told her.

Arcee reluctantly did as she was told and straightened her arms. She let out a worried yelp as she dropped momentarily, before Jacks super strength kicked in and held her aloft. Though she wobbled slightly at first, she quickly stabilize and moved slightly up and down on the air currents.

Arcee let out a laugh as she wobbled in the air and felt the closest thing to flying she would experience. The feeling of weightlessness, the freedom… it was addicting! She could have stayed like that all day, arms extended and blissful. But Jack pulled her back in and grinned at the disappointed moan from Arcee.

He wrapped an arm around her, "Hold tight Arcee, we're going up," he warned her.

"What do you meeeaaannn!" she squealed as Jack suddenly shot straight up into the air, the wind buffeting the two momentarily. Arcee gripped Jack tight as they flew and the two broke the cloud cover, leaving a hole that faded fast.

The two shot forward above the clouds, skimming their surface and leaving a faint trail behind them. Arcee slowly extended a servo and let it run through the clouds, letting the moisture collect on her servos metal surface.

She looked at the tiny droplets that glistened along her metal armor and smiled. She wondered what water would look like on her protoform, having only used the cleaning liquid in the wash racks to clean herself. A better question was when would she tell Jack that her armor was removable?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Jack suddenly shot forward fast, leaving contrails behind them and causing Arcee to scream in surprise. He flew towards a towering cloud and flew around the edges, slowly swirling upwards. He flew off at the top, Arcee in tow and started to slow.

Jack stopped shortly after and floated vertically, Arcee clinging to his chest and venting slightly, "Don't…ever….do that… again," she warned him, inciting another chuckle.

"You know, the view is quiet enjoyable," Jack told her, though her faceplate was buried in his chest, "Course if you want to just keep staring at my chest…" Jack started, earning an indignant shove and glare from Arcee who chuckled slightly.

Once their chuckles died down, Arcee's optics widened as she took in the view around them. The stars stretched over the two like a large blanket, each one twinkling and shining with a brightness she'd never seen. The clouds had formed into a large wispy whit landscape, pillars of mist forming into the air, forming fantastic shapes and forms.

She looked to her left and gasped as she saw the full moon, larger than she thought possible tonight, "Jack this… it's beautiful," she said looking at everything in awe.

"It's so peaceful… so quiet," she whispered, resting her head on Jacks shoulder.

Jack gave her a half-hearted smile, "Maybe… but not for me," he said.

Arcee looked back up at him with a questioning look, "What do you mean?" she asked.

"When I'm up here… when I don't have to restrain myself… I can hear it," he looked into her optics, "All of it, the troubles the happiness… the crimes. All of it at once,"

A sad look passed his face, "And I can't ignore them, each one I can hear perfectly if I focus. I can hear a family celebrating their child's first birthday, a fire burning through a neighborhood… an armed robbery in progress,"

"But I don't know what to do, how to react. I could save lives, help people… but what if I don't come back, what if something happens, I get hurt or die? I don't… I don't want to leave you alone," Jack confessed in her.

Arcee smiled sadly and hugged Jack, "Whatever you decision Jack, it's yours to make. You still are in danger of losing your life working with us. But, I will support your choice regardless," she told him.

Jack smiled and kissed Arcee lightly as the two slowly spun and floated in the air. He pulled away and stared into her sapphire and violet optics, "I love you," he told her.

"I love you to," she replied before looking down, "And I would like to be back on solid ground," she told him.

Jack smiled and nodded, "Hold on tight," he warned her. She hugged him tightly, and there was a loud boom as Jack raced back to base, sweeping through the air with ease. In seconds the two touched down on top of the silo and broke apart, their arms still wrapped around their necks.

"It's good to be back on the ground," Arcee said with relief.

"I thought you enjoyed flying?" Jack said with a fake pout.

Arcee laughed and pecked him on the lips, "I did, but I'm a grounder at spark, my pedes belong on the ground," she told him.

Jack just smiled at her and the two stood apart from each other, looking into their eyes and optics with love. Until a thought occurred to Arcee, "Jack, there's something I've been meaning to show you," she said quietly.

The confusion on Jacks face was evident, "Show me, show me what?" he asked.

"My… Cybertronian armor… I can remove it, this isn't my true form," she told him.

To Jacks credit he didn't faint, but his eyes did widen in surprise, "I thought that…"

She shook her head, "No, this isn't my skin, everyone in base has something called a protoform underneath their armor, even Optimus. It's our true form," she explained.

"I've been waiting for a good time to tell you and well… now seemed like a good time," she said.

"I… I understand Arcee, but…" Jack wasn't sure what to say to this revelation.

Arcee noticed and explained herself further, "I want you to see my true face Jack, not just this," she motioned to her blue and pink helm.

"O-okay Arcee, if you want," he responded.

"I do," she said and took his hands, guiding them to the clamps on her helm. She arranged his fingers into each position and had him press down. With a small hiss the helmet split and Arcee gently pulled it off, exposing her silvery hair to Jack. It shined and glinted from the moon light, and Jacks eyes widened.

"I… I hope your okay with this," she said lowering her head, a few strands of hair falling over her faceplate.

Jack placed a hand under her chin and tilted her head up to look into her eyes, his finger brushing a few strands of her hair away, "I wouldn't have you any other way," he told her.

Arcee's eyes shined with happiness, and she embraced her slightly smaller boyfriend, planting a kiss on his lips. She broke apart and looked at him smiling before the two leaned back into their kiss.

The two remained like that as the night went on, slowly moving to lean against a rock, resting on the ground, content with the presence of the other. They only kissed, there was no need to go farther tonight. For now, everything for them was perfect…

_Unknown Location…_

Void watched events unfold in the council room unfold before her, a scene she had relived in her nightmares for centuries. The large council room was filled with Cybertronians of various shapes and sizes, with two standing in the center of the room before the council. One was a large heavily scarred mech covered in gleaming silver armor. The other was a slightly smaller mech with red and blue armor.

Currently the room was filled with rabble as Cybertronians spoke and argued loudly until one of the councilors used his gavel to finally silence the room, "The Matrix of Leadership is on Cybertron though it has not been seen in many billions of cycles. According to the Archivist, Alpha Trion, it may be found in these turbulent times, and if found will lead all Cybertronians through to a new age on the other side,"

He pointed his gavel at the two mech's standing before him, and Void saw the silver one mouth something silently. And then the councilor spoke, "Orion Pax, upon you we place the quest for the Matrix of Leadership,"

Silence fell, it was as if the High Council and its Chamber and everyone within had suspended every function, frozen themselves in space and time, as the implications of the High Councilor's words became clear.

Void watched the expression of disbelief form on Orion Pax faceplate. As if he could not believe that they might be saying what it seemed that they might be saying. "Excuse me?" he asked, the hope in his voice too clear, that he hoped that the councilor would clarify the misunderstanding.

As one, the High Council set their gravels down and saluted. Orion Pax started to say no, but he did not, because he could not interrupt the High Council and because Void knew he wouldn't. He could not refute the trust and beliefs of his people.

"The Matrix of Leadership is yours to seek, because from this moment forward," said the councilor in a voice that filled the Chamber even over the astonished outbursts of the gallery, "you are Optimus Prime. Unite Cybertron and all of the Cybertronians. Usher in this new era you have spoken of so eloquently."

Voids optics locked on the faceplate of the silver mech, Megatron. His rage was almost palpable. Void closed her optics as the dream moved on, trying to fight what would happen the event she feared most.

Despite her efforts, her wishes, her legs moved of their own accord and she emerged from the shadows striding up next to Megatron. Her spark twisted and turned painfully fighting against what had to be done. She knew this was for the best, but her spark cared not. She wanted to end Megatron here and now… but she wouldn't, and she couldn't.

Instead she wove her servo into Megatron's own, the feelings rolling off the con warlord disgusting her. The worst though, was yet to come, for even now after experiencing the same dream for centuries she could not bring herself to look at Orion's faceplate.

The lead councilor smiled, "Lady Prime, you live. Then you are-"

"Before you say another word, know that I side with Megatron," she interrupted, and she felt her spark begin to crumble again.

The council descended into hell as Megatron announced his war on the council. The war that would destroy her home, destroy everything. Then he left, Void reluctantly following. She spared one last glance at Orion, her spark shattering at the betrayed look upon his faceplate…

_Autobot HQ…_

Kara stood on the platform overlooking the med bay watching Voidwalker with worry. Her fight with Slade had been a difficult one at best. The group knew that Slade was tough, that he had weapons and equipment most humans didn't.

But the modifications, the weaponry he used… It had left Void in critical condition had Kara not brought her guardian back to base almost immediately.

Now Void lay on a berth, restrained by Ratchet with her mask removed and laying on a tray next to her. It was probably the first time her faceplate had ever been exposed to anyone, and Kara looked upon the details with interest.

Her faceplate was a smooth silver, like every bots faceplate tended to be, with soft tender features. It may once have been a beautiful faceplate by bot standards, but the beauty was hidden behind a mural of scars that covered her faceplate. Each weld mark was delicate and simple, showing the signs of someone who knew what they were doing and tried to keep the damage to a minimum.

Despite this, the scars still stuck out, and Kara understood why Void would want to keep her faceplate hidden. While not hideous, such scars could cause staring, embarrassment. Better to hide them than risk the shallow judgments of others.

Void grimaced and a soft moan emanated from her, signs of a possible dream or more likely, a nightmare. She'd done this several times, but Kara could only guess at what her guardian was having nightmares about.

Still, she looked to Ratchet with worry, though she watched Void out of the corner of her eye, "You're sure she'll be okay Ratchet?" she asked.

The medic looked up from his scanner and nodded, "With her wound fully sealed she'll make a full recovery. You have nothing to worry about Kara," he said comfortingly.

Void grimaced again and shifted slightly, "You're sure?" Kara asked looking directly at Ratchet this time.

Ratchet smiled lightly, "I am positi-" he was cut off as Void suddenly began struggling against her restraints. A plethora of emotions danced across her faceplate as she struggled, namely sadness, anger, and regret.

Ratchet looked down at his scanner and felt his optics widen, "Her spark rate is through the roof. We need to bring her out of recharge now!" he said and immediately got to work pressing a series of buttons and commands on his terminal to bring Void out of recharge.

He did his job too well though, as the femmes optics snapped open, revealing platinum colored optics, "Void are you okay?" Kara asked worriedly.

Void didn't respond and continued to struggle against her restraints, causing them to groan in protest, "Calm down femme, everything will be fin-" he was cut off as the femme ripped her the restraints off and fell forward ventilating heavily.

Ratchet approached her to try and calm her, placing a servo on her shoulder. Void snarled and moved like a blur, slashing her talons across Ratchets chassis. Four shallow gashes were left in his chassis and the medic stumbled back.

"Are you out of your mind!?" he demanded, examining the cuts. Void didn't respond, only activated her weapons and attacked the medic. Kara moved in front of her descending blade and stopped Voids assault. The femme snarled and growled at her, her scarred faceplate creating a terrifying face of a feral animal.

"Void calm down, we're not going to hurt you," Kara said trying to reason with the panicking femme. Instead Void snarled angrily, before grabbing her with her other servo and flinging her out to the side and into a wall.

She turned to attack the now prone Kara, when Ratchet tackled her from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck. Void hissed and growled, gripping his arms and flinging him over head into the ground. Ratchet crashed into it with a thud and lay there stunned.

Void raised her bladed hand up to finish him off when, "ENOUGH!" Optimus Prime's deep baritone voice echoed loudly through the base.

Void froze in place still venting heavily, and looked up at Optimus, "Stand down Voidwalker, that is an order," Optimus said, his voice deep and warning.

Slowly intelligence returned to her eyes and Void blinked a few times before looking at the injured medic under her foot, and her charge peeling herself off the wall. She shifted her blade back into a servo and stepped away from Ratchet, staring at her servos in horror.

"What on Cybertron got into you?" Ratchet asked angrily as he heaved himself off the ground.

Void didn't respond, instead swiping her mask off the table and quickly sealing it into place, before shoving past Ratchet and ignoring Optimus, "Void, wait!" Kara said, about to fly after her.

Void ignored her and transformed, driving out of base as her tires squealed against the concrete pavement, "Void!" Kara shot forward, only for Optimus to stop her with a servo.

"Optimus, let me pass, she's my guardian!" Kara protested as he held her back.

Optimus shook his head, "Voidwalker needs time to calm down. When enough time has passed _I _shall talk to her," Optimus told her.

"But," Kara protested.

Optimus shook his head again, "Do not argue with me on this Kara," he warned her, and the girl reluctantly backed off. She looked at the exit of base with concern, but eventually just sighed and landed in the human area, plopping down on the couch and curling up. She lay her head on a pillow and just hoped that Void was okay…

_Along the Highway…_

Void raced down the streets, her processor matching her speed. Everything that had happened, her dream, her frenzied assault on an old friend and her charge, passed through her mind in seconds. And the more it swept through, the angrier she got.

Not at Ratchet, Kara, or Optimus, but at herself. She was stronger than that, worked hard to keep her barriers in check, to not let her emotions control her. But one nightmare, one nightmare had torn that to shreds. She'd been weak, lashing out like a scared animal over nothing.

_'No' _she thought as she weaved through several cars. _'not nothing, guilt, guilt over everything'_

She growled at herself and drove off the highway into the desert, her wheels bumping along the uneven ground, but she didn't care. She was angry, she needed to get away from others before she let it go. She didn't need to add humans to the list of beings she'd hurt today.

She drove for a good ten minutes before screeching to a halt at the edge of a shallow canyon. It was about twice her height and littered with towering cacti throughout its desert brown landscape. She transformed and leapt into the canyon, her pedes echoing lightly across the desert floor.

She walked across the canyon floor, fists clenched, until she stopped by a rather large cactus that stood nearly 30 feet tall. Snarling angrily, she shifted her arm to her blade and sliced clean through the cactus with a sickening squelch. The offending plant slowly slid in two and landed on the ground with a quiet thud.

Void looked towards the other cacti and snarled again, shifting her other arm to a blaster. She opened fire on them, not bothering to aim. Each shot exploded against the ground or a cactus, causing large explosions to echo through the canyon. Void kept firing long after the cacti were incinerated.

Eventually the firing stopped, and she stood there silent, her blaster still extended. Slowly, she fell to her knees and slammed her servos into the ground, letting out a piercing wail of anger and sadness as she felt a few tears fall behind her mask.

She slowly leaned back on her knees, her arms laying against her sides useless, unoccupied. She lifted a servo and looked at the shining black metal of her armor. Why? Why did this happen to her? Why did she have to sacrifice so much only for it to be destroyed? Her home, her family, her friends, and even those she loved were either destroyed or thought her dead.

And no matter what, they could never know. Never know that she hadn't died, was still alive and still fighting. No, she couldn't let _any _of them know, especially Optimus. If he knew who she had once been…

The loud rumble of an engine caught her attention, and Void looked up to the canyon edge. A red and blue semi pulled up to the edge and transformed into Optimus, who looked down at Voidwalker. Void looked away from the bot who had only moments ago occupied her thoughts, still frustrated over everything that had just happened.

Optimus leapt into the crater and approached the femme carefully, "Ratchet tells me you shall make a full recovery," Optimus said to her.

Void spared him a single glance before standing and walking away, "I do not wish to talk," she told him, hiding the pain in her voice.

"I do not believe that," Optimus said, "What I witnessed today has proven that there is much more to you than meets the eye,"

"What makes up my past is for only I to know Prime," Void said quietly, stopping a good distance away.

"I have found that discussing ones past is often the best way to leave it behind... I know that you suffer nightmares," Optimus admitted.

Void scoffed but said nothing, "I have known for longer than today, I know that you have forced yourself into stasis lock, to hide from them," Optimus said.

Void turned to glare at him, "So you have spied on me?" she demanded.

Optimus shook his head, "No, I have simply observed, I check on each soldier before I myself go into recharge, to ensure they are okay. I do not enter their room, do not disturb their privacy. I only wish for my team to recharge peacefully," he explained.

"And yet you know I sleep in stasis in order to stave off the nightmares," she stated.

A faint smile graced his faceplate before fading, "I didn't not know for certain until you told me," he admitted.

"Clever, but it changes nothing," Void said and walked away.

Optimus placed a servo on her shoulder, causing the femme to turn and look at him, "It does, if you are having nightmares that cause you to lash out I need you to explain what they are about. If you cannot control them, you pose a threat to my entire team," Optimus growled the last part.

Void brushed his servo off her shoulder, "I am not a threat to your team, Prime. I keep my distance from them and serve when necessary," she said in a low voice.

"You are a member of the team Void, whether you know it or not, Team Prime is accepting of you. Every member cares for you and your well being. Kara is worried sick at base waiting for you to return," he informed her.

Void narrowed her optics behind her mask, "Why do you persist in this Prime?" she asked.

"Because I like the others care for your well being. I only want what is best for my team," he replied and extended a servo, "And I ask you, to fully join the ranks of Team Prime," he said.

Void looked from Primes faceplate to his outstretched servo, and back again. She looked at his optics, examining them closely, the same caring optics from eons ago, but older, wiser. Truly Optimus had changed during the war. Void sighed heavily and looked to his servo again…

_Autobot HQ…_

Kara rested her head on the railing of the platform, her legs swinging on the edge. Optimus had left over an hour ago to convince Void to come back to base. They had received no communication, and now Kara and Ratchet were the only ones up still waiting for the two to return. Miko and Raf had returned while everyone else was asleep, and Jack and Arcee were still atop the base making out.

Kara had long since gotten over any anger she had at Void for attacking her and just wanted her guardian to come back so she could forgive her. Kara was never the kind to hold a grudge and believed almost anyone could be forgiven. Almost anyone, the cons were an exception to that rule.

"You're sure you haven't gotten any messages from Optimus?" she asked Ratchet again.

The bot sighed, "For the 30th time Kara, I have received no communication from Optimus, he will call for a ground bridge when he is ready,"

"But what if they've been attacked, or Void didn't listen or-"

"Kara, calm down," Ratchet said motioning with a servo, "I would know if either of them were being attacked, perhaps Optimus is still searching for her," Ratchet reasoned.

A beep on his terminal caught his attention, and Ratchet smiled, "In fact, both are just arriving right now," he said with a faint smile.

Kara quickly got up and watched as the two bots rolled into base and transformed to robot mode. Optimus walked forward and began talking to Ratchet, while Void simply stood in place, looking at the ground as if lost in thought. Kara frowned and flew over to her guardian, landing by her pedes.

"Void? Are you ok?" she asked.

Voidwalker looked down at her charge, "I should ask you that child, I was the one who attacked you,"

Kara waved a dismissive hand, "Oh don't make a big deal of it V, you were just having a nightmare is all. Jack has them from time to time too. I'm just glad that you are okay," Kara said, patting her pede affectionately.

Void smiled under her mask, "And I you little one, I am sorry for my outburst,"

"And you're forgiven," Kara replied happily before rubbing her hands together with an evil smile, "Now, I need your help," she said.

Void knelt down and cocked her head to the side, "My help? With what?"

Kara's smile widened, "With pranking my next victim of course,"

**A/N: BAM Cliffhanger. Who is Kara's next target, what is the prank? Guess what, YOU yes YOU get a say in it. I listened to some of your suggestions for this chapter, and I thank the people who suggested the first chunk of this chapter. As for the rest, Who Void truly once was shall be revealed in either the next or following chapter. Anyway, leave your ideas in the review box below, or PM me with them, simple as that. Bye!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Culmination

_Autobot HQ…_

The base was in an early morning peace as the humans and Cybertronians slowly woke from their respective sleeping areas. Miko and Raf had been the first to awake, watching Saturday cartoons. Kara, Bee, and Optimus had been next, the latter looking over a terminal while Bee, Raf, and Kara talked quietly over various topics.

Void, Ratchet, and Starscream had been the next to wake, in that order. Ratchet worked on whatever it is that he worked on, while Starscream watched the others while leaning against a wall. Void stood near her charge watching and rarely speaking, waiting with her to see their prank come to fruition.

Jack and Arcee finally entered the main hall, the former rubbing sleep out of his eyes and yawning, "So the happy couple finally awakes!" Miko teased from up high, a grin forming on her face, "Must have gone for a _long _drive last night if you two took so long to wake up,"

Jack glared at her, "Miko, even if we did do anything like that last night, why would you tease us about it?" he asked her, "Not like it would be something to be ashamed of," he said leaning against the railing and smiling lovingly at Arcee.

Miko opened her mouth, before her face turned a brilliant red and it promptly closed with an audible 'clop', "Never mind, you're no fun," she muttered to herself.

Jack looked around at the assembled bots and raised a brow, "Hey, anyone seen Bulkhead, he normally wakes up earlier than this," Jack commented.

Kara stifled a laugh, "Oh, he should be up soon," she said innocently.

Jack shot her a suspicious look, "What did you do?" he asked.

Kara gave him big innocent eyes and pouted, "Kal, I'm insulted! How dare you suggest the idea that I may or may not have pranked one of the bots," she said.

"Didn't stop you from pranking our medic," Void pointed out quietly.

"Shh!" Kara said placing a finger to her lips, "You aren't supposed to rat me out!" she exclaimed quietly.

Void tilted her head at the use of the term. Kara opened her mouth to explain it, when a piercing femme-like scream shot through the base. Everyone looked to the sound of the scream from down the hall to see Bulkhead charging towards the main hall. He was flailing his arms around and screaming in a very none mech sort of way.

Everyone looked at him confused for only a moment before, "SCRAPLETS!" he screeched, frantically brushing small little balls of metal off his chassis.

"Bulkhead," Arcee said and he ignored her, screaming and panicking, "BULKHEAD!" she repeated.

The wrecker froze, "Those aren't scraplets," Arcee said chuckling.

"Th-there not?" he asked looking at himself.

Arcee shook her head and plucked one of the 'scraplets' off him, "They're just ball bearings painted to look like scraplets," she explained.

"I-I knew that," the wrecker said, calmly brushing the remaining ball bearings off him.

Jack looked at his sister with a knowing look, and she collapsed into fits of laughter, "Oh my god you should have heard yourself Bulkhead! I didn't know mech's could scream that loud!" she said holding her sides.

Jack simply rested his head in his hand while the girl laughed and noticed that Void was trembling ever so slightly, "You alright?" he asked the femme.

Void nodded slightly, "I… am… fine," she said clearly trying to hold back laughter.

Jack eyed her suspiciously but said nothing, "Not cool Kara," Bulkhead said once all the little replicas had been brushed off.

"I don't know Bulk, you're it's still pretty funny to hear you scream like a girl," Miko said with a giggle.

"Miko!" Bulk shouted glaring slightly at his charge.

"What it is!" Miko replied.

"What I would like to know," Ratchet said examining the ball bearing that had two purple splotches painted on it for eyes, "Is _where _Kara got so many ball bearings of this size," he said, his optics glancing towards her.

Kara rubbed the back of her head nervously as Ratchet eyed her, "I… may or may not have… borrowed a few from your tool set..." she admitted.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge, "How many is a few?" he asked.

Kara silent, "Kara," Ratchet said dangerously.

She rubbed the back of her head, "All of them," she squeaked.

There was a sound of dropping metal as the ball bearings in his servo fell to the floor, Ratchet had a blank look on his faceplate, "Ratchet, you all right?" Raf asked.

Suddenly, "KARA I NEEDED THOSE!" Ratchet yelled, causing everyone except Optimus and Void to flinch.

What followed was the sliding of metal on metal, and a large wrench flying towards Kara. Only for it to stop dead held in Voidwalker's black servo. Everyone looked at her surprised, she'd done this before of course, but not for anyone else, and not that fast. Even Jack hadn't seen her servo move.

Void opened her servo and let the wrench clatter to the floor, echoing off the base walls, "I believe you dropped your wrench…. Hatchet," Void said with a smirk. Ratchet stared at her dumbfounded as she turned and walked off into the base, leaving everyone to look at her confused.

"Did Voidwalker just call Ratchet…. Hatchet?" Miko said scratching her head.

"Huh, maybe you've finally started rubbing off on her," Jack said to Kara while Ratchet began collecting the ball bearings again. The whole time he was grumbling to himself angrily about disrespectful femmes.

"Maybe," Kara said, looking in the direction of Void as she walked off. The femme had been acting a little different since there prank, but she wasn't sure why. Or if it was such a bad thing.

"What do you think Optimus?" Miko asked, causing the Prime to look at her confused.

"Excuse me?"

"You think some of Kara's personality is rubbing off on Void?" Miko explained.

Understanding dawned in the Primes optics, "Apologies, I was a bit distracted by a recent development," Optimus told her. That got everyone's attention. If something was big enough to distract Prime that much…

"Exactly what development?" Starscream asked, speaking up for the first time all morning.

"The current planetary alignment has me… concerned," he replied, turning to look at the monitor. Everyone else just looked between each other confused.

"So… You're an astronomy buff?" Miko asked, leaning on the rail while looking up at Optimus.

"Under ordinary circumstances, no, but you see Miko," Optimus explained, "It was written long ago in the covenant of Primus that when the 47 spheres align, a perpetual conflict will culminate, upon a world forged from chaos. And the weak shall perish under the herald of darkness itself," he recited the prophecy perfectly, chilling everyone.

Arcee was the first to break the silence as Ratchet looked at the terminal, "No skies raining fire yet?" she deadpanned.

"Goes without saying," Ratchet replied, "It is a doom prophecy after all,"

Bulkhead shook his head, "I still say it's a load of hooey," he said, strangely confident for one who'd just been squealing like a femme moments earlier.

"I wouldn't dismiss something so readily Autobot," Starscream pointed out, "When those in my universe refused to believe in the unbelievable, desperate measures where called for," he said, rubbing the area over his spark chamber.

"I'd always assumed the ancients were referring to our home planet," Ratchet said, briefly looking at Bulkhead.

He hung his helm, "But being as Cybertron has been dark for eons…"

"And considering what has befallen this planet since the arrival of extra terrestrial life," Optimus continued.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Bulkhead interrupted, "We've known of these superstitions for ages and never gave them a second thought," he pointed out.

Arcee seemed to be of the same mindset, "Why all the ominous rumblings now?" she asked. Jack had a feeling he knew why.

"Because the planetary alignment to which the prophecy refers to, is nearly upon us," Optimus replied in a grave tone.

"And it would seem that the end point is…" he looked up at the screen, "is Earth,"

"Ugh…" Bulkhead started, a bit unsure of himself, "Crazy coincidence, heh… R-right?" he asked nervously.

"How long we talking?" Arcee asked, her tone more serious.

"A few days, most," Ratchet answered. Everyone looked between each other with worry. If this prophecy was in anyway true…

"Well we shouldn't have anything to worry about, right?" Miko said, "I mean we got Jack, Kara, and you guys, not to mention the Titans. Any heralds of darkness come a knocking, we just sick Jack on them," she said with nervous confidence.

Jack looked to her, "Miko, if this is some sort of darkness that'll fall over Earth… I'm not sure Kara and I would be much help. We _need _sunlight to stay as strong as we are. The suits help but if this prophecy is true…"

"Kal and I may not be of much use," Kara finished. The base once more became unnaturally quiet at the idea of the two arguably strongest fighters being unable to help the bots.

"We managed to do fine without Jack for a while Miko," Bulkhead finally said, "We'll handle whatever's coming,"

"Bulkhead has a point Miko," Optimus said, "And however unsettling this revelation may be, I am more concerned about those who might believe that the prophecy speaks to them alone,"

The base fell into morbid silence…

_The Nemesis…_

Megatron stood upon the bridge of the Nemesis, scowling angrily as his warship glided through the inky blackness of early morning. Things had not been going in the Decepticons favor for weeks. Even with their forces stronger than ever, they continued to suffer loss after loss. And it could all be traced to two single problems.

Kal-El, and his accursed sister. The two had made a mockery of his forces, tearing apart his best Vehicons, and turning his personal lieutenants into scrap.

"I did not seek out the blood Unicron, to simply keep my spark a flame," he growled, "But to rule undead armies, and conquer worlds!"

He looked down slightly at his chest, feeling the shard pulsating in his spark chamber, "And to accomplish that, I require more than this… mere sliver that lies within me,"

"So," he rasped turning slightly, "WHERE IS MY DARK ENERGON!" he snarled, whirling towards his lieutenants and slamming his pede to the floor.

Starscream and Airachnid cowered back slightly, indicating it was Knockouts turn to appeal to their lord and master, "Out there lord Megatron," Knockout said, motioning outwards, "Just waiting for you to reach out an pluck it!" he said, snapping his servos shut for emphasis.

Megatron narrowed his optics, clearly not amused, "But yoou, shouldn't push yourself so hard," Knockout quickly added, stepping back, "You've had setbacks, you were in stasis, and you had Zod to worry about," Knockout pointed out.

Megatron's much larger servo grabbed Knockout by the shoulder and lifted him up with ease, "Precisely why I must make up for lost time!" he snarled at the doctors faceplate, "I can see the future, _vividly_!" he claimed, his optics widening, their lenses narrowing.

"But I must insure its outcome," a vision of Megatron standing triumphantly over Optimus and one of his Autobots flashed through his mind, his sword raised high into the air.

"For I am the herald of darkness of which the prophecy speaks!"

_Autobot HQ…_

"Pass…" he said.

Second picture.

"Uh, uh,"

Third picture.

"Kid in a costume," Jack sighed.

He was starting to get irritated.

Fourth picture.

"Balloon," he said, dully.

Fifth picture.

"Nope!" Jack announced.

Sixth picture…

"Oh, hold!" he said.

"Another picture of Bee," Jack sighed. Even with the bots being public knowledge, it was often left up to the kids to clear up reports about a supposed Cybertronian sighting . Unless it was a con, they were to clear it up and remove them, to help the bots maintain secrecy over their location.

Needless to say, after Jack and Arcee's date, the pictures of the next few days were of him and the femme out at the mall. The teasing he'd received from Miko and Kara had been… annoying to say the least. Ignoring that though, Bee was the most common one reported, he used his holo-form the least, compared to the other bots. Why, no one quiet knew.

"The camera sure loves 'Bee," Jack sighed.

"What can you do?" Miko asked, grinning, "When you're a superstar…you're paparazzi bait!"

"Waaait," Ratchet said from his computers , looking at the four uneasily, "Is that Bumblebee?"

"On the Decepticon reports website," Raf explained to the good doctor, "Don't worry, we have it under control," he said confidently.

"We just scrub…" he said, "And replace 'Bee with…"

A animated cat dressed in an astronaut suit appeared on the screen.

"Mars cat says: 'Take me to your feeder'," the cat said.

"HA!" Ratchet laughed. The entire base froze and looked at Ratchet… Had Ratchet the Hatchet… just laughed? Maybe that doomsday prophecy had some truth behind it after all.

"Ratchet actually _laughed_?" Miko asked, confirming that what Jack had just heard emanating from the doctors voice, was in fact, a laugh. Ratchet looked around nervously, avoiding eye contact while several bots chuckled at him.

All except one. Optimus still stood by the computer, watching the monitor warily for any sign of change in the planetary alignment. Jack felt bad that the Prime had to be left out of the fun and decided to change that.

"Um, Optimus," Jack said, "You want to see something funny?"

"No," he replied, not even turning his gaze.

All four kids looked at each other in embarrassment. So much for social interaction with Optimus.

"Don't take it personally," Arcee said, walking up to the four on the platform, "Primes are built that way," she explained. It could have been his imagination, but Jack could have sworn he saw a brief indignant look from Void. But in an instant, the look was gone. He shook his head, probably just imagining things.

"Never seen Optimus laugh, cry or lose his cool," Bulkhead added.

"While Optimus certainly keeps his emotions in check," Ratchet said, "I've known him far longer than any of you have. And he _was_ different before he was made a Prime,"

"Optimus wasn't always a Prime?" Raf asked.

"On Cybertron, one isn't _born_ into greatness, rather one must _earn_ it," Ratchet said.

"So…" Miko cut in, changing the subject, "different how? We talkin' Party Animal?" Jack and Kara had to hold back stifles of laughter at the very image of _Optimus Prime _dancing. A horrible image of the Prime dressed for Saturday night fever flashed through Jacks head, causing him to shudder.

"No, no," Ratchet corrected, "Optimus was more like…"

He looked at the four kids, eyeing each of them thoroughly.

"Jack," he concluded.

Shock slammed into the boy like a ton of bricks. Him? Like Optimus? _Before he was a Prime? Sure he was willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, but Jack was nothing like Optimus. Optimus was wise, fearless, and strong. Jack was anything but, always making mistakes, acting self conscious. He certainly wasn't Prime material._

"What?" Jack stuttered, planning to voice these objections "I'm nothing like…"

"Prime!" Fowler shouted over the video screen. Everyone's heads snapped towards the computers.

"Those tech heists my department's been tracking…we figured it was MECH on account of their stealth tactics," Fowler said, "Until moments ago when a security feed at the Pennington Epps particle accelerator captured this."

A picture flashed up on the screen. And Jack immediately recognized the figure in it.

"Soundwave," Jack said softly.

"Raf can swap that out for you with a funny cat…" Miko offered. She was ignored.

"The Con without a face made off with a cutting edge phase conductor," Fowler said, "here's a punch list of everything else we've confirmed stolen to date"

The list popped up on screen.

"Plasma injector, neutron shield, tessaract? There's only one thing missing if they are intending to build a Spacebridge…an ample power source," Ratchet said.

Spacebridge? Like the one the Decepticons made for their zombie apocalypse? The same one the Autobots blew up? The one where Jack had almost lost Arcee? That space bridge?

"They could be scouting for one…" Arcee reasoned, "We probably should be as well…so we can beat them to it."

"I'll contact you if I have any more leads," Fowler said as he shut off the feed.

Everyone looked to each other with worry. What were the cons planning?

_The Nemesis…_

"The Decepticon space bridge is nearly ready to launch," Knockout reported to Megatron, "All we require is-"

He was cut off as a schematic of a power source appeared on his visor, "What Soundwave said," Knockout said with a hint of annoyance, "An ample power supply,"

There was a beep on the purple angular terminal, as Airachnid and Starscream brought up the same file simultaneously. It highlighted a military facility, focusing on one of the buildings and blinking repeatedly, "This one lies in a highly secure location," she laughed softly to herself, "By human standards. I could tunnel in-"

"The time of prophecy is nearly upon us!" Megatron yelled, slamming his servo shut. Airachnid and Starscream backed away from their master in fear.

"We can no longer afford _stealth_," he spat. He looked to Starscream, "Lead a group of Vehicon flyers to initiate the assault. Once done, I shall send Knockout and Breakdown to retrieve the power supply,"

The lieutenants looked at him in worry, "What are you all STILL DOING HERE!?" Megatron screamed, causing them to stumble back, minus Soundwave who simply sidestepped the other three, "GO FIGHT WIN! AND IF YOU DON'T!" he unsheathed his blade for emphasis.

The three nodded and scurried off, disappearing into the ship…

_Autobot HQ…_

"Prime, the Cons really stepped in it this time," Fowler reported, his face appearing on screen, "They hit a US military lab, our boys in green will fend them off till your team shows," he stated.

Optimus shook his head, "Agent Fowler, I fear that Megatron's desperation may be at its zenith," Optimus explained, "And you know that I cannot condone even a _single _human casualty,"

Fowler let out a frustrated sigh, something Jack could understand. Ever since the event with Zod, the military had been waiting for a chance to prove itself. But going against the cons, was not the way to do it. It would only get men killed, nothing else.

"Fowler here, evacuate all personal… immediately," he ordered.

_US Military Lab…_

Chaos reigned at the military base, as soldiers struggled to retreat. Helicopters and ground vehicles lay scattered across the grey landing pad. They were nothing more than burnt out husks for the cons to crush under-pede, as the Vehicons emerged from a large hangar.

There were 10 in total, and one held up a servo, stopping the eight guards and two carriers, who held the power source between them. It was a large cylindrical object, colored silver and similar to the one Jack had been forced to steal for Slades ground bridge.

It lowered its servo, and the drones moved forward, turning their heads as they ran. A peculiar noise caught their attention. A ground bridge opened to their right, and several vehicles rolled out, transforming into team Prime, blasters firing.

The drones placed the energy source down and returned fire as Void, Optimus, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Starscream attacked. Jack and Kara were nowhere to be seen, but this was quickly shown to be a false sight. One of the Vehicons heads went flying forwards as Jack and Kara knocked its head off in unison.

The remaining cons tried to turn their attention to both sides, but it was in vain. The bots whittled them down slowly, and once Starscream closed the distance, it was over. The former con let out a loud battle cry as his blade cut through the chest of one con, causing it to drop in two pieces.

He started cutting into the group, when blaster fire from above caught his attention, "Transform!" he yelled before leaping into the air, and taking off after the group of Vehicon flyers above, firing his blasters at them. One exploded into a ball of fire, before a sleek silver jet opened fire on him.

Starscream snarled angrily and transformed midair, blade glowing an angry red. He slashed at the cons wing, and felt the satisfying resistance that meant he'd struck a blow. The jets wing melted off, and he spiraled to the ground, transforming and crashing as he did. Starscream landed behind him, his pedes leaving neat imprints in the concrete.

The silver seeker let out a cough as he struggled to his pedes, before glaring angrily at Starscream, "How dare you strike me down!" he screamed indignantly, leveling a rocket at Starscream.

"Tell me your name so I may tell the Autobots of who's spark I snuffed," he growled.

Starscream struck a ready stance, blade unwavering, "Only if you give yours," he rasped.

"Fine. If you must know, I am Air Commander Starscream, second in command of the Decepticons!" he proclaimed proudly.

Starscream let out a bark of laughter, "_You're _Starscream!?" he asked, laughing hard before a more serious expression appeared on his faceplate, "I expected more from my inter dimensional counterpart," he growled.

Starscream II's optics widened, "_You _are supposed to be _me_?" he demanded in a very femme like manner, "I've never been so insulted in my life,"

There was a swift sound of metal on metal, and Starscream II found himself faceplate to faceplate with Starscream, "Shut. Up. The fact that a sniveling coward like yourself holds my name disgust me," he said softly, before leaning back.

Starscream II felt something hanging from his crest and slowly reached up, plucking the object off. He brought his servo down, and widened his eyes at the sight of his crest cut neatly in two. He looked back up at his counterpart, before receiving a swift pommel strike to the forehead, offlining the cowardly SIC.

Starscream regarded the unconscious seeker with disgust. His disgust though, was interrupted by the loud sound of a jet. He turned to look up at the noise and saw a massive silver Cybertronian jet flying towards him. There was a sound of shifting metal, and Lord Megatron collided with the former con, knocking him into the ground.

Starscream shook his helm and tried to get up, only for Megatron's servo to wrap around his throat, lifting him to stare into his red optics, "A Decepticon turn coat," Megatron said in wonder as the blue seeker struggled in his grip, "How I would love to tear out your spark, but alas, I have more important matters to attend to," he threw Starscream at the assembled Autobots and Kryptonians, the former con landing hard.

Megatron regarded the Prime, ignoring everyone else, "Optimus," he growled.

"Megatron," Optimus replied in kind, "Do you not see the folly in trying to force a prophecy to fruition?" he asked from behind his battle mask.

"Why leave matters to fate?" Megatron asked, "if one can forge one's own destiny," his optics flickered to looking behind the group.

"Ah, speaking of fate," he said.

Everyone turned to see Bumblebee slowly walking towards the group, something in his arms. Jack looked to see what it was, and felt his heart stop. In Bee's arms… was Raf. Everyone looked in shock at the weak boy cradled in Bee's arms. His skin was a deathly white, and he groaned weakly before letting out a pathetic cough.

Jack couldn't move, but didn't have to, the others crowded around the boy, "He's breathing," Arcee said as she took the boy from Bee's arms, "Barely…"

"A ha," Megatron said, causing everyone to turn back towards him, "It would seem I swatted a Bee, and squashed a bug," he mocked.

That was all it took. Jacks vision turned red and he lost it, flying straight towards the con before Kara grabbed him from behind. She held him in place, trying to keep him in place, the bots doing the same with Bumblebee.

"Kal don't!" Kara warned, holding him back. He didn't care. That monster had hurt one of his only friends, and acted like it was an inconvenience!

Bee was cursing at Megatron, Jack unintentionally translating for him as Kara held him back, "YOU PIT-STAINED PIECE OF SCRAP!" Jack screamed, the entire area shaking slightly at the force of his voice.

"I'LL FRAGGING KILL YOU, I'LL TEAR YOU APART! YOU THOUGHT ZOD WAS BAD!? WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU," he screeched, Kara barely holding him back as he continued to curse. Megatron just seemed amused by Jacks threats, grinning evilly.

"Ratchet, bridge us back now!" Optimus ordered over the comm.

The bridge opened quickly behind them, "Arcee, attend to Rafael… and the others," he ordered. Arcee nodded, and carried Raf through, Bee and Starscream following. Kara dragged a screaming and thrashing Jack through the portal, ignoring his protests of rage and sadness. Tears of anger poured down his face as he begged his sister to let him go, to let him tear apart the monster that would dare hurt his friends.

Kara ignored it, and slowly dragged him through, the portal closing behind them. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Void made sure they made it safely through. Megatron simply smirked at them, ignoring the looks of pure hate on Bulkheads faceplate, and the waves of the emotion radiating of Optimus and Voidwalker, since their faceplates were obscured.

He looked up as the large form of the Nemesis appeared over head, thrumming silently. It deployed its chute and Megatron looked back at the bots. They were gone, their bridge closing behind them. The warlord smirked and grabbed Starscream by the faceplate, dragging him into the chute as it descended on them. With a slight hitch, both Megatron and his SIC were lifted into the undercarriage of the Nemesis.

The ship slowly took off unaware of the three specks clinging to the outside of the warship, holding onto one of its many prongs. Megatron had won for now, but Optimus could not allow his victory to go unpunished. If it was the last thing he did…

_Autobot HQ…_

Arcee and the others slowly walked through the bridge, cradling Raf gently, like a newborn. She wanted to make sure she didn't jostle or worsen the condition of the child. She had always liked Raf in an older sister sorta way, he was very level headed at times when even her boyfriend wasn't and could see forms of logic that others could miss.

Miko summed up everyone's feelings in two words, "Raf, no!" she shouted, leaning on the railing to better see her hurt friend.

Ratchet approached the femme, concern etched onto his faceplate, "What happened?" he asked.

"Megatron," Jack hissed as he finally reigned in his fury.

Ratchet nodded, "Quickly, into my laboratory," Ratchet ordered, parading everyone into the med bay.

Arcee quickly set Raf on a medical berth as Ratchet prepared himself, "You should know a thing or two about human biology, right?" Jack asked his sister, the hope far too evident in his face.

Kara looked unsure of herself, "Some… but not enough to know how to help him. All I can say is that he's intact internally," Kara told her brother.

Jacks face fell as Ratchet looked over his tools and turned to face Raf, Rafael is not responding," Ratchet growled, "We must run diagnostics on his assemblage…vitals…statistics…Agh! My tools! They're all _wrong_!"

He threw them clanging into the other side of the base. Jack stepped back, wiping his eyes, erasing the tears before they etched themselves on his face. Bumblebee gave a despairing wail, his servos clenching as he wailed.

"We need to call my mom," Jack said suddenly, pulling out his cell phone.

"Your mother might be a nurse but does she know anything about the effects of Energon on the human body!?" Ratchet yelled.

Jack turned to face the medic, his fist that didn't hold the phone clenched. His eyes were glowing pure red and the medic took an unintended step backwards from the boy.

"Do _you_ know anything about the human body!?" Jack snarled, glaring at Ratchet. The entire base rumbled from the force of his voice, dust falling from the ceiling.

Ratchets optics widened before he looked away in shame, "That's what I thought," Jack growled angrily, typing into the phone.

"_Hello?_" June answered over the phone.

"MOM!" Jack nearly yelled into the phone, "It's urgent!"

Ratchet looked over Rafs weakening form "And the weak will perish," Ratchet whispered, "Be _strong_ Rafael,"

_"I'm coming Jack, have Ratchet open a ground bridge for me,"__ June ordered. In a matter of minutes, Junes new red car pulled into base. Jack rushed to the car, helping June unload everything from the car, saying nothing. Last thing he wanted was to slow her down._

_June stormed over to the berth where Raf lay, quickly checking his pulse as Ratchet finished scanning, _"Measuring the extent of the absorption should determine the proper extent of treatment…" he started.

June grit her teeth, and glared up at him.

"If I don't get this boy stabilized _NOW_," she snarled, "_He_ will not be leaving this table alive! Do you understand me!"

Ratchets faceplate looked like June had just slapped it, before he shook himself of it. Jack set her bags next to her as his mother got to work. Right as Bee lost it.

The scout screamed wordlessly, though the emotions were clear. Anger, pain… grief. He slammed his servo into a concrete wall with so much force that a visible dent was left. Arcee acted quickly and shoved Bee against the wall while Starscream watched it all from a medical berth of his own.

"'Bee, _listen_," she snapped, "You don't think I know how it feels to watch a partner…harmed…? Revenge won't help Raf right now, you need to keep your emotions in _check_."

The mute scout lifted his helm and gazed mournfully at his charge, putting a servo on his helm. He silently sobbed, a few tears of anti-freeze dripping down his faceplate.

June continued to use her medical equipment to check Raf over, the worried look on her face growing worse. Jack wanted to ask how he was, but feared the answer. Instead he waited patiently as time passed and Bulkhead returned through the bridge… alone.

June put her equipment away, "Jack, help me get Raf to the car, he's going to the emergency room" she explained, and began wheeling Raf to her car.

"Nurse Darby," Ratchet argued, "Your doctors won't be able to comprehend what's afflicting him, not without a decade of study."

"I don't have time to argue," June growled darkly as she and Jack continued wheeled Raf to the car.

"The effects of an Energon blast on an Autobot can be devastating enough…but this is a _human_," Ratchet said scanning for any Energon readings, "I'm not getting any readings…_how_ could I have not _seen_ this. Rafael's been infected with _dark_ Energon…"

The silo went silent and the two stopped dead. Dark Energon, it always came back to that _vial _substance. Even Jack and Kara weren't immune to its affects. Jack could only imagine what it was doing on to Raf.

"If Dark Energon is devouring Raf from the inside out, we must expel it, and fast the only possible way I know," Ratchet said, grabbing a vial, "I need Energon!"

"Wait," June said, "You said Energon was devastating to humans,"

"Under normal circumstances quite," Ratchet replied, "but I am relying on the dark matter currently invading Rafael's body to meet it, head on."

Bumblebee gave a soft whirring chirp and held out his arm. Ratchet nodded and took the sample. The blue substance quickly filled the vial with Raf's only possible hope. Suddenly, Raf's monitor began to flat line. Everyone's hearts leapt up into their throats.

"I need him over here!" Ratchet yelled, pointing at a large decontamination chamber, "NOW!"

June and Jack wheeled Raf over into the chamber and ran back out as quickly as possible. Watching, with bated breath, the boy in the chamber.

A low humming sound emanated from the chamber, steadily growing stronger and stronger .The chamber glowed with a holy blue white light, illuminating the entire base. Everyone shielded their faces as the glow became blinding.

Suddenly, the glow and the hum cut off and the door opened. June quickly ran inside, Jack and the others in close pursuit. She checked Raf's pulse, holding a finger to his wrist.

"Pulse rate…is stabilizing," she said, relieved as the boy's warm brown eyes opened.

"'Bee?" Raf asked weakly.

The scout let out a relieved whirr, possibly the boy's own name. Miko embraced the little boy, Jack came and stood next to June, who put her hand on his back. Jack felt immense relief flood his system at the development before him.

Everyone looked up at Ratchet.

"Optimus," he said, turning to where their supposed leader was, "We did it,"

There was no answer.

"Optimus?" Ratchet asked again, looking around, "Voidwalker?"

Bumblebee gave a questioning chirp.

"He and Void stayed on the _Nemesis…_to deal with Megatron once and for all," Bulkhead said, softly.

"Bulkhead…" Arcee growled, "You let Optimus and Voidwalker face Megatron _alone!?"_

"I didn't have a choice," he protested, "Besides, those two are the best bot fighters we have, they should be able to handle old bucket head, right?"

_The Nemesis…_

"The Power source shall be ready in no time Lord Megatron, we're nearly at the construction site," Knockout informed the pacing warlord. He'd been like that the moment he'd returned to the Nemesis, pacing and mumbling to himself. Currently, only Knockout and Airachnid were aboard the bridge with him, Starscream in recovery, and Dreadwing preparing his troops. With Starscream's latest failure, Megatron had given the position of SIC to Dreadwing.

He whirled to face Knockout, "Nearly isn't good enough, the spheres are aligning, I must not miss my moment to-" Megatron froze as another vision flowed through his mind.

A large volcano, oozing with lava flashed through his mind, followed by the appearance of him once more standing triumphant over Optimus and his fellow Autobot… as… something, emerged from the inky black clouds behind him.

Megatron returned to reality in an instant, his optics glowing an eerie purple, "Lord Megatron, are you alright?" Knockout asked.

"Yet again, it's as if I can hear Unicron's very thoughts," Megatron whispered.

"Unicron, the chaos-bringer?" Airachnid asked, confused by the mention of the mythical being.

"They say Dark Energon is his blood," Knockout told her, wiggling his servos for effect, before snorting "hmph, whatever,"

Megatron turned to them, "Complete the space bridge, there is something I must attend to," he ordered, and walked past the two.

The two watched him stalk away, "Does he seem to be… losing it?" Knockout asked the spider femme.

"A bit," Airachnid replied casually.

_Later, aboard the Nemesis…_

Optimus walked through the halls of the Nemesis, his blasters shifted into full power. He had just dispatched another group of Decepticons and issued his challenge to Megatron. So far he hadn't yet received a response, but knowing his old friend… One was not far away.

Optimus realized that what he was doing was foolish, challenging a madman like Megatron to one on one combat, but seeing what he'd done to Raf… Had re-ignited a pain he'd thought had died with Cybertron.

This wasn't just about stopping Megatron. No it was… Optimus' thoughts trailed off as he realized he was being tailed. He knew who it was and came to a stop in the hall, lowering his blasters.

"Hiding will serve you know purpose Voidwalker," Optimus informed the femme.

There was no response at first, before Void emerged from the shadows, "I told you to return to base with Bulkhead," Optimus growled lightly.

"And I chose not to," she replied, "Taking on Megatron alone is foolish Optimus, you must realize this," she told him.

"This is not your concern Voidwalker," Optimus said and turned walking down the hall.

Voids servo shot out and grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him, "It is when you risk the war," she said in a dead tone.

Optimus was silent for several moments before speaking, "I am aware of the risk… and I do not care. Megatron must be punished for everything he has done," Optimus said.

Void narrowed her optics behind her mask, "I am not arguing with you about that Prime, but why do it alone?" she asked, confused by this out of character tone Optimus had taken.

"Because," Optimus started, turning out of her grip and continuing his stride, "It is also about revenge. Revenge towards Megatron for killing one who I once cared for deeply," Optimus informed her.

Void stopped for only a heartbeat, and was about to say something, when Megatron's voice echoed over the comm.," Here this! Any Decepticon who lay's a servo on Optimus Prime, will answer to me. Soundwave, lock onto my coordinates… and lead my opponent to his destiny," his voice cut out and a bridge spiraled to life before the two.

Optimus walked to the bridge when Void stopped him again, "I understand your want for revenge Optimus, but if anything, allow me to come as backup. I will only interfere if necessary," Void told him.

A hint of reluctance traced his optics before a more firm gaze appeared in his optics, "Very well Voidwalker," he said, and the two walked through the bridge…

_Megatron's Location…_

Megatron stood on an empty plateau, the skies painted an eerie color of black and purple, lighting up the sky. A large volcano spewed forth lava from the warlords side, as he awaited his opponent with eager anticipation.

The bridge opened, and Optimus emerged, Void stealthily disappearing, "Megatron! Today you answer for your crimes against Cybertron!... and against humanity,"

He stopped a good distance away from the con warlord, "One shall stand…"

"And one shall fall! You! Optimus Prime!" Megatron snarled. Both enemies, older than the race they swore to protect and destroy, charged each other. Their war crimes echoed across the stormy landscape, as their metal fists collided with their faceplates. And so it was that the perpetual conflict, would culminate…

**A/N: You know, I did consider writing out the fight, but then I realized something. If I had the fight on the intro of the next chapter, I could get a chapter out TODAY and tomorrow. So in the end, this cliffhanger actually BENEFITS you. And trust me, tomorrows chapters gonna be full of quiet a few interesting details. But, moving on, what did you guys think of the chapter? Did I do good, bad, meh? Was the Prank Kara pulled good? What about Starscream vs. Starscream? All this, and more, you can answer in the review box below. And remember to PM me with messages or questions that I will happily answer.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Herald of Darkness

_Megatron's Location…_

The two ancient enemies. having fought for eons, charged each other. Their thunderous footsteps echoed across the plateau, both crying out ferociously as they reared their fists back. With a massive boom, both fists collided into the others faceplate, sending the gladiator turned revolutionary, and the Prime skidding away from each other. Their metal pedes skid across the ground as the flew back, stunned for but a moment.

Both opponents recovered nearly instantly, resuming their charge. Megatron fired his cannon as he ran towards his enemy. Optimus redirected Megatron's arm as he fired, shifting his own servo into a blaster, attempting to fir on the warlord. Instead Megatron redirected Primes arm as well, both opponents firing, attempting to hit each other. Every time their blasters were redirected by the other.

Optimus spun on his heel, lifting his other pede to slam into Megatron's faceplate. The con ducked back at the last moment, whipping forward and fired at Optimus. The Prime once more redirected his enemies movement several times, before both bots brought their blasters to bare. Aiming at their opposing blaster.

With a simultaneous shot, both Cybertronians were sent careening, falling flat on their afts, skidding across the ground. The sound of steel on hard rocky earth screeched through the area, when the two titanic foes came to a stop on opposite sides of the plateau.

Optimus was the first to get back to his pedes, and shifted his servo into a long silver blade. With a battle cry, he charged Megatron, who got to his own pedes and began firing at Optimus. The Prime used his blade to knock aside the blasts, the silver blade glinting fiercely in the uncertain light.

Without a word, Optimus leapt into the air, blade raised as he descended towards Megatron. The con deployed his own blade, blocking Optimus' blow as he landed. Their clash echoed across the empty landscape. The two locked their blades, struggling against the others strength.

Megatron's bright purple optics glared at Optimus Primes own royal blue optics in anger, "Your defeat here was foreseen by the ancients. What was it they wrote, the weak shall perish?" The con asked in a mocking tone.

"Do not believe everything you read," Was Optimus' response. With that, the two broke apart, Optimus jumping back as Megatron slashed upwards at his chest. The con quickly readjusted and stepped forward as he slashed back down at the Prime. Optimus dodged the blow once more before slashing his blade down vertically at Megatron.

The cons parried the blow and slashed forward, Optimus dodging again. He twisted and slashed at him, Megatron knocking the blow away. Optimus continued to press the advantage, slashing at Megatron's legs, forcing him to stumble back.

Optimus jumped forward and spun midair, his blade slashing across Megatron's chassis, leaving a thin faint gash across his chest plate. Megatron growled and struck back, forcing Optimus to backpedal away. Despite this, his blade still left a thin gash in the Primes lower abdominal area.

Optimus briefly touched the injury, before attacking Megatron, their blades flashing through the air, too fast for any human or even Kryptonian eye to catch. Their blades locked once more, as the two mortal enemies glared each other down, grunting and growling as they wrestled against each other.

Megatron broke away from Optimus, slashing at his helm. The Prime ducked below the slash, his own blade striking up, leaving another thin line across the cons chest plate. Megatron snarled angrily, and slashed downwards vertically. Optimus used his own blade to block the blow, shoving Megatron backwards.

The warlord yelled furiously and tried to slash at him from the side. Optimus knocked the blow away, only for Megatron to slam his servo into his battle mask. Primes head whipped to the side, stunning him briefly. He managed to recover quickly, and looked up to see Megatron's pede flying straight towards his faceplate.

With a loud crash, Optimus went flying backwards, but managed to land on his pedes, skidding into the ground. He disengaged his sword, and charged at Megatron, his pedes pounding loudly against the ground as he charged Megatron. With a roar of fury, Optimus transformed to vehicle mode, his engine roaring. The Prime drove up a large hill in front of Megatron, and flew off the landscape.

The semi-truck fell towards, and slammed into Megatron, knocking the warlord off the plateau. He crashed into the ground below with a massive crash, lying there stunned. Optimus himself flew off the edge in vehicle mode, plummeting towards Megatron. He transformed in midair, letting out a loud war cry as his pede slammed into Megatron's body.

The Prime kneeled on his body, his pede in front of Megatron's faceplate. His other leg was slammed into his gut, holding the warlord in place. In a unique move, the Prime used the tires on the back of his leg, and slammed them on Megatron's faceplate. There was a sharp squeal of rubber on metal as Optimus began running his tires _into _Megatron's optics.

Megatron flailed his servo around, trying to reach for Primes body so that he may pull him off. His servo found purchase on Optimus' helm, and with a roar of anger, flung the Prime off him. Optimus skid on his feet away from Megatron, who got to his pedes trying to clear his optics.

Optimus charged him and slammed his servo into Megatron's faceplate, Dark Energon flying out of the cons mouth. Megatron swung wildly at Optimus, still blinded by his tire attack. Optimus easily dodged it and let loose a relentless barraged of punches.

He punched up, knocking the con into the air. He followed with a swift right hook, knocking him to the side. He repeated this again, Megatron's entire form flailing as Optimus continued to barrage him with punches. He punched him straight in the faceplate, followed by a punch to the midsection, causing him to double over in pain. A final right hook sent the con leader stumbling backwards.

He clawed at his faceplate, clearing his optics of the melted rubber. Just in time to see Optimus charging him one more time, "GRAAAGH!" he bellowed angrily as he slammed his servo into the Megatron's faceplate. The warlord went flying backwards, crashing and rolling across the ground.

Megatron rolled to a stop, venting heavily. His systems were trying to cool down as the warlord rolled onto his back and weakly tried to sit up. Lightning struck as he saw Optimus stalking towards him. Each foot step was ominous and lingering, causing Megatron's spark to beat faster.

Optimus stopped in front of him, Megatron looking at the Prime in shock. There was a shift of metal, and the Primes sword deployed, glistening in the lightning and red glow of the volcano. Megatron looked over his battered frame, venting weakly.

"My… destiny," his upper body was slammed into the ground by Optimus' pede. He looked up at his adversary, shock and awe in his optics, "This isn't how it's supposed to end," his voice was weak and raspy, hardly as intimidating as before.

Void watched as Optimus raised his blade into the air. She was shocked, by the fact that Optimus had one… and by the brutality she'd seen. She never knew that Optimus could fight so brutally. He was a strong fighter, true, but he always seemed to be holding back. This apparently, was what happened when he didn't.

"On the contrary Megatron," Optimus said as his blade reached its zenith, "I could not have allowed this to end otherwise,"

His blade descended towards Megatron's spark, the volcano erupting at the same time. A loud metal clap echoed through the area. Void and Optimus's optics widened in shock.

Megatron sat forward, his optics closed. His servos were clapped together, as if he were praying. But in between them, was Optimus' sword. Slowly, purple lines crisscrossed under his armor, and the con opened his optics. They were still violet, but a bright, burning violet, so bright they were nearly white with color.

"GYAAAAAGH!" Megatron snarled as he stood to his pedes, holding Prime's sword between his servos. Optimus held his arm, trying to push back, but Megatron seemed to have been endowed with new powerful energy.

Megatron smirked at the Prime, "How was it that you put it Optimus?" he asked mockingly, while Optimus tried to push against him, "I could not allow this to end, otherwise?"

With a sudden surge of strength, Megatron snapped Primes blade in two. Optimus stumbled back, and Megatron roared with fury as he shoved the upper half of the blade into his collar area. Optimus hunched over, limping away from Megatron as Energon seeped from the wound and down his chest plate.

Optimus tried to strike with what remained of his blade. Megatron beat him to it though, hammering him in the side with a fierce blow. Optimus doubled over slightly, before delivering a right hook of his own. Megatron shrugged off the blow, and glared at Optimus. He slammed his fists into the Primes helm repeatedly. A particular blow from the right caused Optimus to spin around, stumbling slightly as he did.

He managed to face Megatron weakly, only to be sent flying backwards from a straight upper cut. He crashed into the ground, kicking up dust as Megatron stalked towards him. He let his head fall back as he vented heavily, and pulled the blade from his collar, Energon spurting from the wound slightly.

Megatron grinned evilly as he approached, when the sound of a deep motor caught his attention. He turned to the noise in time to see Void transform and flip kick Megatron in the jaw. Megatron stumbled back from the blow, rubbing his jaw as Void transformed her servos into two blades. She held them up, ready to engage the warlord in hand to hand.

Megatron glared at the femme with a hint of amusement, "Ah, two against one Optimus?" he laughed lightly, "As I have said before, you would have made a _fine _Decepticon," Megatron said tauntingly.

"Your quarrel is with me Megatron," Void growled as she circled him slowly.

Megatron chuckled, "Foolish Autobot, did you not just see what I did to your leader. Only two others were capable of matching me in combat, and I personally extinguished their sparks," he narrowed his optics, "What hope do you have?"

Void smiled faintly behind her mask, "More than you know," she whispered. Moving lightning fast, Void sprinted forward towards Megatron, blades extended.

The warlord deployed his own blade and slashed at Void. The femme leapt up and jumped off Megatron's blade, flipping over him. She landed behind him, legs splayed. Megatron turned to attack her, only to receive a slash across his faceplate. The warlord gripped his faceplate as a thing line of Dark Energon trickled down his faceplate.

Void continued her assault on Megatron, forcing him onto the defensive. He managed to parry an upward slash from Void. While in the air, Void twisted her waist, and kicked her right foot into the side of Megatron's head, causing him to stumble to the side. He glared up at Void with a snarl, and caught her blade with a servo.

Void widened her optics behind her mask, before striking with her other servo. Megatron caught that blade as well, and stretched his arms apart, keeping Void restrained. He slowly lifted the femme off the ground as she struggled against his strength, kicking and cursing silently at Megatron.

Megatron smirked, "I admire your spirit Autobot, it has been sometime since I've seen a femme as persistent as you. But before I rip your spark out, I want to see your face. To watch the fear in your optics as you realize the end comes," he smiled and slammed her onto the ground, slamming his pede on top of her chest. Both her arms were trapped under her body, and she struggled to free them.

He leaned in close as Void continued to struggle against him, "Now let's see what's behind that mask, shall we?" he asked, reaching towards it.

Void worked a servo free and slashed at Megatron. His servo whipped out, faster than Megatron had ever moved before, gripping her servo hard. Pulling it away from him, Megatron's servo worked its way under her masks seems, and in one fluid motion ripped it off. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the mask flying away, hearing it skid against the ground.

"Now that's better isn't it-" Megatron froze as he saw Voids face, glaring at him with pure hatred and anger, "I… I recognize that faceplate. Its' not quite the same, but I would know it anywhere," Megatron said.

Void continued to glare at him, "We've never met face to face before Megatron," she growled angrily.

That fiery comeback was what made the gears in his processor click. Megatron's optics widened further before a gush of laughter escaped the old warlord, "My my how the mighty have fallen, wouldn't you agree?" Megatron asked her mockingly, a grin on his faceplate, "Celestial Prime?"

Only a brief flicker of emotion gave away Voids thoughts, and Megatron laughed again, "And here I was afraid I truly had killed you. But come to think of it, ripping your spark out twice will be quiet enjoyable," Megatron growled.

"Not this time," she snarled. She heaved against Megatron's pede, managing to get it off just enough before rolling off to the side as it slammed back down. She kicked up into his faceplate, causing him to release her trapped servo as he cradled the cut on his faceplate.

Void rolled away from him and got to her pedes, reaching into her subspace. She pulled out a long pitch black spear, holding it at the ready. It was easily as long as she was tall, and tipped with a long elegant blade. Two sides surrounded a smaller center of the blade, making it double edged.

Megatron smirked, "If you believe you can beat me in combat Celestial Prime, you are sorely mistaken,"

Void set her stance, holding the spear with two hands, "Celestial Prime died eons ago. Now there is only the Void!" she yelled and charged at Megatron.

The warlord unsheathed his blade and slashed from the side of Void. The femme planted the butt of her spear in the ground and leapt over the con as he did. She landed behind him, spear in one servo. She twirled it between hands and thrust it forwards as Megatron once more turned to face her. This time, Megatron's blade locked between the two on her spear, locking the two into place.

Megatron laughed as he began pushing her back, "You cannot defeat me Celestial, not while the blood of Unicron flows through my veins!" with a shout, he shoved her back, twisting his blade and slashing at her middle as she jumped back.

She felt a hot pain in her arm and looked to see Energon trickling out of a cut on her upper arm. She returned her platinum gaze to Megatron, her spear held tightly, "At least I don't depend on that vial substances to even move," she replied to him.

Megatron slashed at her again, and the two exchanged blow, Voids attacks graceful and elegant. Megatron's were powerful and focused, aiming to maim and kill her, "And yet who is on the run?" he taunted as she flipped back away from him.

Voids response was to let out an unintelligible yell and shoot forward, her spear slamming through Megatron's left forearm, "You haven't changed a bit Megatron, still as cocky and blind as ever," Void taunted, ripping the blade from his forearm.

Megatron held the injured appendage back as the two circled each other again, "Not as blind as you'd think. After all, how do you think you managed to get out of Kaon and to your lover?" he asked, optics flickering towards the damaged form of Optimus. The Prime was trying to watch the battle the best he could with his injuries, and the shock was evident on his faceplate. Void had a feeling that she would have a lot of explaining to do later.

"I got out of my own accord, Megatronus," she growled.

Megatron stood up and laughed loudly, "No, you foolish femme. I was aware of your activities since day one. When I found out, I was initially furious…" a sadistic smile crept onto his faceplate.

"And then an idea struck me. I would allow you to continue to fund Optimus with Intel, grow more and more attached to him. And when the time came, I would kill you, as I did, in front of his optics. The sweet revenge was worth the losses… as well as using Optimus Primes whore for my own benefit," he stated proudly. Void hid her emotions, but felt a flood of horrible memories flood through her mind.

She shook herself and refocused on Megatron, her Energon slowly starting to boil, "But I suppose it is fitting, now I get to best you in combat, _and _kill Optimus Prime," he said casually.

Void charged, attacking in a frenzy of blows strikes and slashes. And Megatron casually blocked each one, the purple veins on his body flaring even brighter. Void thrust her spear at Megatron's neck, and jarred herself as he caught it in his servo. She immediately struggled against his grip, while he raised his blade. In a swift movement, he cut through the shaft of the spear causing her to stumble slightly.

Megatron retracted his blade and pointed it at Void, right as she looked back up at him. In a bright flash of light, she was sent careening backwards, slamming into the ground near Optimus, a small amount of Energon leaking from the burn on her side.

She immediately tried to get back up, only for Megatron's pede to slam on her, the volcano erupting in a massive shower of purple energy. Voids optics widened in horror as she realized what that purple energy was… Dark. Energon.

Megatron laughed manically, "Well, well," he said, looking to the two bots laying injured before him, "It seems the blood of Unicron I have been seeking, is not out there, but rather right here!" he pointed to the earth beneath them.

"Dark Energon," Void started quietly.

"Erupting from the Earth," Optimus finished.

Megatron unsheathed his blade raising it high over head, like he'd seen in his vision, "Why is the blood of Unicron… erupting from beneath the Earth?" Optimus asked quietly.

"A question Optimus, that you and your whore will take to your grave!" Megatron snarled, about to end his and Voids life.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Kara screeched as she and Jack shot out of the ground bridge that opened in front of Megatron.

Megatron went flying back as the two Kryptonians tackled him, and proceeded to pound him, ignoring the Dark Energon falling around them. Megatron skid back from each punch, until he snarled and backhanded both of them. The two teens flew backwards, crashing and skipping across the ground, landing near the bots helping Optimus and Void through the portal.

The two got up and Jack snarled at the warlord, his battle rage starting to take over, "JACK KARA, WE'RE GOING NOW NOW NOW!" Arcee screamed at the two.

Kara immediately went to the portal, tugging on Jacks shirt as she did. Jack looked at Megatron and the Dark Energon around them, his powers already weakened. He reluctantly turned and followed, running into the portal after everyone else.

Megatron slashed down as the portal evaporated away, leaving him with no conquest. He stood up, growling to himself. He felt something warm trickle down his faceplate, and swiped at it with a servo. He looked to see it was Dark Energon, and clenched his servo into a fist.

"THIS, is merely the beginning!" he roared, "I now posses enough Dark Energon to reanimate Unicron himself!" he started to laugh manically, when a low dull boom echoed through the sky. It was too low to be thunder, and the warlord turned to the noise.

His optics widened in shock as a massive ship broke through the clouds. It was easily three times larger than the Nemesis, made of smooth flowing metal. And emblazoned on the front, were three circles, arranged in a triangle wit lines interconnecting them. And a Decepticon symbol was printed in the middle of the triangle…

_Autobot HQ…_

The ground bridge opened up and Optimus and Void limped through, the former supported by Ratchet and Bulkhead, the latter by Arcee and Starscream. Jack and Kara followed in behind, Jack having a slight limp. Only seconds of exposure to the dark stuff, and it had been enough to make him susceptible to a single blow from Megatron. He could feel several cuts, scrapes, and bruises under his clothes, which were a tattered mess from the blow.

Jack inwardly sighed, his mother was going to freak when she saw this, "Easy Optimus," Ratchet said, "from the looks of things you've been exposed to a massive amount of dark Energon."

Optimus looked up, his optics fixing on Raf, "I am not the only one," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Jack knew from looking at the big man, that he wasn't in great condition, same with Void, who had lost her mask. Her scarred face was downcast, and Energon leaked from a wound on her side. For some reason she seemed to be avoiding Optimus to the best of her ability in the small med bay. Jack would have to wonder about that later, there were more important matters at hand.

Optimus, despite his clearly injured state, managed a weak smile toward Raf, who returned it, "Hey," he said quietly.

"He's lucky to be alive," June growled, making the smile on the Prime's faceplates fade as he looked away.

"Megatron found more of the dark stuff," Jack stated, changing the subject causing the tense atmosphere.

"A volcano full," Arcee confirmed.

"The question is…how?" Bulkhead asked.

"No, the question is 'what?'" Ratchet corrected, "As in what in the world is the blood of Unicron doing here on earth,"

Starscream's face shot up, a look of fear and worry on his faceplate. Jack could understand that, Unicron was the reason he'd nearly died, why he was here in the first place. It made sense he assumed that he wasn't going to appear here. Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"The 'Cons killed a Unicorn?" Miko asked, confused and clearly forgetting Starscream's story.

Still, the looks on the bots faceplates was hilarious, and Jack was reminded of the time he misheard the name when Dusk mentioned it, "White horse with a horn on its head prances around all sparkly?" she asked, acting it out.

_"_Uni_cron_," Ratchet corrected, "an ancient evil whose fossilized blood comprises the matter which we call Dark Energon, as legend would have it,"

June's eyes narrowed as she looked at the medic.

"So you're saying this…Unicron…is some kind of boogieman?" she asked suspiciously.

"Boogieman?" Ratchet asked, confused.

"Creepy make believe guy that hides in your closet?" Miko asked, looking to see if it rang any bells.

The bots ignored Miko as they continued to discuss what was going on, "No, Nurse Darby," Ratchet sighed, "Unicron is very real, was...that is…well I do believe he once existed I just don't subscribe to the theory that his, primordial life force is the substance which…harmed Raf,"

"I've heard enough," June growled, "Jack please help me get Raf to the car,"

Jack looked at her confused, before she gave him a "listen or your grounded look" at him. Bee chirped something in protest, earning the very same glare from June. Jack was confused at this sudden shift in behavior and voiced it.

" Mom," Jack started, "I thought he was doing better."

"Raf needs to be examined by _**real**_ doctors and Raf's family needs to know what's happened," she glared at the Autobots with her icy eyes, "his _**real**_ family,"

"Mom, his family can't protect him," Jack pointed out, "Not like Kara and I or they can,"

June glared at her son, eyeing the scrapes covering his body that were only starting to faintly heal. She was about to question him on them, when the groaning creak of gears could be heard from the med bay. Everyone turned to see Optimus struggling to stand, clearly taking a great effort to do so.

"June," Optimus said softly, shaking ever so slightly, "It deeply grieves me that I have failed. But I will do everything in my power to ensure that no harm comes to our human friends, or any human ever again,"

June looked down, "Optimus, they're children, they do not belong in your world," she said softly, "They should be worrying about grades, prom dates, pimples, _**not**_ their own survival,"

Jack came up to his mother, "Mom, Dark Energon is pouring out of the earth…it doesn't do that!" he cried, "This could be about everyone's survival not just ours,"

June gritted her teeth, "You're coming with me," she yelled, "All four of you! And they will _NOT_ be coming back,"

"I…understand," the Great Prime whispered softly.

June turned her back, wheeling little Raf to the car, "That's it?!" Miko demanded looking at Optimus, "After all we've been through together? See ya? What about _our_ freedom to choose?"

"That may fly on their planet," June growled, helping Raf into the car, "But not here on Earth!" she glared at the two kids still standing outside of the car.

"Get. In," June snapped.

Miko snorted, "Do you _really_ except me to get into a non-transforming vehicle?" she asked.

"Miko, I'm serious," the widow growled.

"You're not my mother!" the exchange student snapped.

"Miko," Bulkhead said softly.

"Neither are you!" she retorted.

June sighed in defeat before turning to Kara and Jack, "But I am yours, get in," she ordered, motioning to the car.

Kara glared at her, "No," she said through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me?" June asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

"I said no," Kara replied.

"Listen here-" June started, but his sister interrupted.

"No you listen June, you are _not _my mother. You did not teach me, you did not raise me. The only reason I listen to you is for my brothers sake. But no matter what, you are not, and will never be my mother," Kara told her angrily. Everyone looked at her in shock, and the hurt was evident on Junes face.

June looked to Jack, an expecting look breaking through the pained expression. Jack looked to Arcee, "She is…your mom," Arcee said softly.

Jack looked between at everyone, torn between the multiple parts of his life. His sister, his girlfriend, the woman who raised him as her own… and Finally he settled his gaze on Optimus, who simply watched the exchange with a neutral expression.

Jack clenched his fist, "I'm staying," Jack whispered, holding back his tears, "I'm sorry,"

For a brief moment, the devastation on Junes face was obvious to everyone, before she quickly hid it behind a face of anger and turned away, shutting Raf's door. The boy looked up and pressed his hand against the window, reaching out to his friends as June got in and started up the car.

"Ratchet, activate the ground bridge," Optimus said softly.

"No thank you," June growled, tears choking her as she drove out of the base.

The Nurse looked in her review mirror…And watched as she drove away leaving the last remnant of her family. She'd lost everything… Even Jack…

_Megatron's Location…_

Megatron's jet mode burned through the shoot and smoke as he flew to the massive ship hovering over the Volcano. The prophecy had never foretold of Unicron having such a thing. But, regardless, he intended to pledge his allegiance to the chaos bringer.

Megatron landed on a small platform jutting out from the side of the ship, transforming as he did. He stood and examined the doorway, made of seamless smooth metal, with no visible cracks. A small sphere opened above it, and scanned him with an eerie red light. It stopped at his spark chamber. The device flashed green, and the door peeled open, allowing Megatron access.

Megatron confidently strode through the large doorway, not even needing to duck. He looked inside to see that the halls were nearly bare, only the occasional pipe or odd device occupying them. The halls stretched high up as well, turning darker as Megatron walked through the hall. He eventually made his way through a network of tunnels and access points to a large chamber.

It was massive, nearly as large as the council chamber on Cybertron. It was also barren accept for a single detail. Hundreds of large tubes lined the walls, their occupants hidden from his view. A large central tube occupied the far wall, the same symbol emblazoned upon it as on the front of the ship.

Megatron slowly walked forward, when a loud beep stopped him, **"Approach no closer," **a cold monotone voice ordered, **"State your purpose," **it ordered.

Megatron kneeled before what he assumed might be Unicron, "Oh mighty Unicron, I have come to serve you, as your humble servant. I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, and your very herald. The one who wielded the Dark Energon which binds us, to serve you and help you conquer once again. The prophecy has been fulfilled!" he exclaimed. Silence, was his only response.

Megatron assumed this was a sign to continue, "This is only the beginning of what we shall accomplish… Together! For you shall rule this planet, and those who walk upon it through me!"

**"You are mistaken, Megatron," **the voice told him, **"You are not the herald of the Unicron," **

Confusion was obvious on his faceplate. A low hiss escaped the central tube, and it slowly eased open, steam billowing forward, revealing its occupant. It was a tall well built robot, standing half of Megatron's height. It had a purple body, with a T shaped silver chest plate. A silver collar ran up its head, and its "skin" was a pale blue-green color. It had silver cuffs along its wrists, and silver boots as well.

Its head was tall and bald, with no sign of a helmet. Its eyes were a soulless white, lined with black along the edges. On its forehead, were three circles, arranged in a triangle pointing down. Lines connected them together, and the figure stood.

**"I am Brainiac. Herald of Unicron"**

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack sat on a crate away from everyone else, his face buried in his hands, trying not to show how much he regretted what he said. After she'd let the news of how bad the weather was getting, and the ship that had arrived over the volcano hit. Jack felt worse than ever, Bee having gone out to get Raf and June before something bad happened. For now though, he just wanted to be left alone.

Optimus and Void were still recovering in the med bay, the latter trying to avoid the Primes gaze. Despite this, Optimus broke the awkward silence between them, "What Megatron said… is it true?" Optimus asked, the hope just barely hidden.

Void looked at him out of the corner of her optic, sighing inwardly. No point in hiding it anymore, "Yes, I once was Celestial Prime," she answered reluctantly.

"But how? I watched you die, Megatron…" Optimus couldn't finish, for both their sakes. The memory was too painful.

"Celestial did die that day Prime. And that same day Voidwalker was born," she told him.

"Yet you still live, different in physical appearance perhaps, but similar in personality, if more cold and distant," he replied.

"The femme you once loved is dead Optimus," Void reaffirmed, "There's nothing left but the void,"

Optimus looked at her curiously, before speaking, "I don't believe that, and neither do you. I can tell from the tone in your voice, your body language," he told her. Void looked away, wishing she hadn't lost her mask.

"Even now you avoid my gaze, why?" he asked, genuinely confused.

Void said nothing, and Optimus repeated himself, "Voidwalker, why?"

The femme slowly looked at Prime, a blank look on her faceplate, "Look at my face Optimus. Look at the scars the damage. My whole form has been rebuilt for combat. It comes at a cost, everything you remember about me, is gone. I have one purpose now, to fight. Nothing more nothing less,"

Optimus gave her a hard look, "Voidwalker, no person is lead on by a single purpose. It is not the Autobot way. All sentient beings have the right to freedom to choice, regardless of their model, their chassis, whether they're femme or mech. You have that choice as well Voidwalker. Even if you don't realize it,"

Void looked at Optimus, there optics locking before the sound of a roaring engine caught their attention. Bee drove into base and parked in place, opening his doors to let Raf and June out of his vehicle mode.

"Ugh we're back," Raf said sheepishly.

"And we are glad," Ratchet admitted.

Jack disappeared from his perch on the crate and reappeared hugging his mother tightly, "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, pulling away as he did.

"I will be," she said, "Jack…"

"Mom, I…" he started, but couldn't find the words..

"I know, me too," June finished, hugging him, she looked up at him, "But you're grounded until you're thirty,"

He looked down.

"Twenty five," she amended.

He smiled faintly. June looked past him to Kara, who had a somewhat sad look on her face, "June I…. I'm sorry for what I said," Kara said softly, "I… shouldn't have said that. Not after you did so much for my family without asking for anything in return,"

June hugged the girl, catching her off guard, "It's alright Kara, I understand. I shouldn't have tried to act like your mother in the first place," she said. Kara smiled slightly and the three followed Raf up to the upper platform, hearing the TV blare its report.

_"World leaders are classifying these bizarre weather patterns as a global emergency,"_ The news reporter said.

"Global?" June asked.

_"And scientists believe the phenomena to be somehow related to the current planetary alignment,"__ it continued_

The elevator doors opened and Fowler walked out. He looked mad, "What have you learned, Prime?" Fowler demanded, "And you better not blow smoke up my…uh Mrs. Darby…What a nice surprise…"

"Special Agent Fowler," June greeted. Jack rolled his eyes at the Agents awkwardness towards his mother. His crush on her was obvious, but the awkwardness could have come from his fear of Jack playing interplanetary pinball with the Agent if he acted wrong towards his family.

"We have learned this, as of the so called magma from the volcano, these earthquakes originated far below the Earth's crust, from the very center of the earth's core in fact," Ratchet explained showing an outline of the planet and a flashing red center.

"Quakes don't start there," Fowler scoffed, "do they?"

"Tiny tremors rising and falling in a consistent pattern, almost like..." Ratchet then suddenly stopped as he stared at the waves on screen, "By the All Spark!"

Not a good sign. Every time the medic said that, something reality breaking occurred.

"If I convert these data points to audio files…" he started, messing with the consol.

"What? What is it?" Fowler demanded.

"Listen," Ratchet ordered.

A loud thudding sound entered everyone's ears…

"A Cybertronian heartbeat…" Jack whispered, having heard the sound many a time sleeping with Arcee.

"How is that possible?" June breathed, "A heart pumps blood, there's nothing inside the earth to pump except…"

Raf sat bolt upright from his position on the couch, "The blood of Unicron," he said, eyes wide.

"Okay hold on," Miko said, "You mean something's living down there, inside our planet?"

"I fear that the earth's very core is not comprised of magma, as your science has suggested," Optimus said softly, "But, of Dark Energon,"

"And if we're hearing a spark," Ratchet said, "then _ship that has arrived, is the herald of __Unicron__, here to fully awaken its master,"_

"So, how do we stop this thing from rising?" Fowler asked.

"That I'm afraid was not foretold," Optimus said.

"How can something be in our earth's core, and be alive?" June muttered.

"Such a thing is not unprecedented," Optimus said, "Before the beginning, there was Primus _**and **_there was Unicron. One the incarnation of creation, the other of destruction.

"For eons Primus and Unicron battled, the balance of power shifting between them more times than could be counted," he continued, "Only by creating the Thirteen, the original Primes that preceded me, was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron, and cast him out, splitting his body into six pieces, his arms, legs, torso and head. Primus became one with the very core of our planet, creating life through the well of all sparks, while Unicron was never to be heard from again. Until, now."

"Maybe we can find the hole this uber-con left when he dug himself all the way down there and fill it full of explosives!" Fowler suggested, eagerly.

"Agent Fowler, I do not believe that earth became Unicron's home," Optimus corrected, "But rather that with time and gravitational force, debris collected around the remnant of the beings torso,"

"Forming your Earth itself," Ratchet finished.

"And he's only awakening now due to the magnetic pull created by the planetary alignment," Arcee said.

"Or the presence of his herald," Void suggested.

"Okay well, what happens now when Unicron wakes up from his billion year nap?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, does he stretch and kapow! Earth poofs to dust?" Miko asked, mimicking the explosion.

Everyone went silent.

"You don't know…do you?" June asked.

"My guess is that Unicron has transcended physical form as we know it," Optimus said, "nonetheless we must find a way to ensure that this force of nature never fully awakens. The fate of your planet depends on it."

_Brainiac's ship…_

**"You claim a position that is not yours, why?" **the robot asked.

"I have fought the Autobots and their Prime for eons, I deserve to be Unicorns herald!" Megatron yelled.

Brainiac ignored Megatron, floating past him, his body stock stiff and unmoving, **"I have served Unicron for thousands if not millions of years, helping him recover the pieces of his body. In my travels I have acuminated thousands of zeta bytes worth of data," **Brainiac stated, a terminal floating in front of him.

**"And now that I have found the final piece to his form, I can begin the final piece in my masters revival. Once he has risen, I shall finally be rewarded with that which I seek," **he said confidently.

"Then allow me to help, so that we may serve our true master, together!" Megatron said, clenching his servo for emphasis.

**"You talk of serving Unicron. Yet you could not even defeat a single Prime. The level of incompetence shown in your records does not give me reason to place my faith in you, Cybertronian,"** Brainiac said from his terminal, not even sparing a glance at Megatron.

"How did you-" he started.

**"I have begun hacking into all available sources of knowledge on this planet. Once I have finished, I shall begin the process of calling Unicron to this world," **Brainiac explained to him.

"Then allow my forces to assist you!" Megatron offered.

**"You fail to see my point, Megatron," **Brainiac said, turning to regard him with a look of disinterest, his cold voice never once having risen or fallen, **"You have had many a chance to prove your worth, and time and time again the Primes on this world have stopped you. I have no need of you or your resources. I am more than capable of functioning at optimum efficiency without them,"**

"But-" Megatron started to protest, only for Brainiac to cut him off.

**"This conversation serves no further purpose. Be gone," **There was a shift of metal, and Megatron fell through the floor to the world below.

With that minor annoyance taken care of, Brainiac returned to work, searching for one of the two Primes while simultaneously downloading all available information on the information superhighway of Earth... The internet.

A curious device, but one who's purpose he understood. Though he was puzzled by the odd writings of the website . It would appear that even by the standards of most species he'd learned from, humans were sick creatures.

He moved on and was satisfied with a ping on one of the surges of seismic activity on this world that hid his masters body. He activated several of his drones, which were smaller versions of himself, and dispatched them to the location. Once the Primes were dealt with, nothing would stop him from calling forth Unicron…

_Voidwalker's Location…_

Voidwalker sighed irritably as she walked through the abandoned desert along the canyon edge. Ratchet told her it was a sight of the seismic readings that indicated a spike in spark activity from Unicron. As far as she could tell though, there was no sign of it now.

"Ratchet, I am at the location you mentioned, but it seems that all seismic activity has ceased," she informed him over the comm.

_"Understood, continue investigating, and be careful. No telling what you'll encounter," _Ratchet replied.

"I'll keep that in mind doctor," Void said and cut off the communication.

**"You would do well to listen to your medical officer," **A cold monotone voice warned her from behind.

Void whirled to see a figure about half the size of Arcee floating stock still across from her, "What are you?" she asked, confused by the odd little man before her.

**"I am Brainiac, herald of Unicron," **it replied.

Voids blasters were out and pointing at the being, "So that is your ship floating above the volcano?" she asked.

**"You are correct, Celestial Prime. Now then, I fear that your termination is necessary for me to continue my mission," **Brainiac informed her.

"I'm afraid not," she stated and fired a single blast at the machine, watching in shock as it reflected off a shimmering shield of energy.

Void's optics conveyed her shock, **"Energy shield technology. I incorporated it into my form after discovering its existence among an odd group of aliens that referred to themselves as the Covenant. Rest assured their extinction was rapid and swift," **Brainiac said.

He narrowed his pure white eyes, and to Voids further shock, dozens of clones of Brainiac floated down and surrounded her, **"Disciple of Primus, your termination is inevitable,"** they all said in unison, **"For while Unicron is one, we are many,"**

They raised their fists, and energy coalesced, as they prepared to fire…

**A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUNNN! So…. ignoring those who I told, who was shocked by this guys appearing? huh huh? Did I do good in his portrayal as a character? What about the revelations about Void, like, dislike? Oh and to the guest who keeps begging me for a June Optimus pairing…. It ain't happening. If you want it, read my fic Techno-Organics, but it will not happen in this one. Moving on, **_**please **_**tell me what you think of this chapter, I worked my bloody fingers off on it, so feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. PM's for questions too, I don't bite! Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Darkest Before the Dawn.

_Voidwalker's Location…_

Void rolled to the side as the various Brainiac clones opened fire on her previous position. Beams of hot white energy burned into the ground where she had stood just moments ago, leaving a scorched melted ground in her spot. She looked at the clones, shocked at the firepower they possessed. All of the clones slowly turned to face her in unison.

Their soulless white eyes locked with her optics, **"Your attempts to flee Prime are admirable," **they raised their arms again, white energy coalescing around their fists, **"But they are in vain,"**

Void sprinted away from the clones as they fired, the beams of white hot energy leaving a molten trail behind her. Void scowled as she ran, transforming her servos into blasters. She jumped forward and kicked her leg out into a Brainiac clones face as it raised its hands to fire, causing its shields to flare.

Void landed with her pede on it and fired three shots into the clone. The first caused the shield to flare, the second caused it to break and the final one reduced the clones metal head to slag. She jumped off the now dead clone and began sprinting along the edge of the canyon as the clones pursued her.

_"Void, what's going on down there, your vitals have spiked!" _Ratchet yelled over the comm.

Void activated her comm. as she ran, "Encountered Unicron's herald, I have engaged," she reported.

There was a silence over the comm. When, _"We are sending reinforcements," _Optimus told her.

Void growled as one of the clones flew in front of her, aiming its fist at her exposed faceplate. With a swift swipe, her blade cut through the clone, shield and all. With a slight shift, its upper half slid off and the two halves crashed to the ground.

"Negative Optimus, I can handle this. You and the others need to remain at base," Void replied as she leapt over another clone, beheading it as she landed.

"_This is our fight as well Void," _Optimus told her before adding in a quiet whisper, _"I am not losing you again,"_

Void growled, "Do not risk yourselves for my sake!" she exclaimed angrily. She said no more as several Brainiac's surrounded her and opened fire. Void was knocked to the ground as she let out a pained scream over the comm.

She tried sitting up and found that bits of her armor had melted together from the heat of Brainiac's attack. Roughly 15 of the Brainiac drones surrounded the femme, arms raised at her for an attack. Void only glared at them angrily, knowing there was no way to kill them all with their number so great and their defensive tech so powerful.

**"Fair well, disciple of Primus," **the Brainiac's said in monotone, their energy weapons charging.

"Not while we still function!" a deep baritone voice declared.

The clones looked towards the voice in time for Optimus and Bulkhead to land on two of them, crushing them under their weight. Arcee flipped into the air, arm blade extended as they slashed through two more, leaving them in halves. Starscream's jet mode came screaming down, strafing them with laser fire that bounced harmlessly against the clones.

Transforming, he slid across the ground and used his red blade to impale one on the end. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying off into another, it detonating into a ball of fire. Bumblebee's engine roared and the scout collided into one, punching the robot in the gut before raising his servos over head and slamming them down. The Brainiac clone slammed into the ground and broke into pieces of scrap metal.

Twin flashes of scarlet light passed through the remaining forces, causing them to overload and explode, falling to the ground in burning wreckage. Jack and Kara lightly floated down next to the bots as Optimus approached Void who was still on the ground.

He held out a servo to her, "I said I would not lose you again," he said through his battle mask, "And I meant it,"

Voids reaction was to shift her servo to a blaster and fire two feet to the right of Primes head, blasting a damage Brainiac clone to bits, "Now we're even," Void replied, getting off the ground on her own. She ignored Primes outstretched servo as she got up.

**"Even with reinforcements, you will still fall," **Brainiac's voice echoed across the flat ground, **"You are but eight. The odds of you surviving even with the help of the Kryptonians are highly improbable," **he stated.

Jack looked around worriedly, "How did he know we're Kryptonians?" he asked.

**"I know a great many things about you all, Kal-El," **Jack's eyes widened at the use of his true name. Dozens of Brainiac drones, some ranging from eight feet tall, some as large as Arcee, descended from the sky. All of them held their arms firmly at their sides, their bodies refusing to move while they spoke.

**"The information I have gleaned from this planet has been useful in determining the best method for the annihilation of the Autobots. Divide and conquer,"** Brainiac's forces surrounded each individual of Team Prime.

**"Together, you are strong. Divided you fall,"**

Jack scowled angrily, saying nothing as the Brainiac's prepared to fire, everyone prepping for battle. Jack took in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he let his senses expand outwards, taking in every sound and detail. Insects crawling across the ground, the wind shifting across the ground, the gentle clicking and shifting of the bots as they moved, and… the sound of Brainiac firing.

His eyes snapped open, and Jack moved to the side, dodging the fire as it skimmed passed him. To any observer, it looked like he hadn't moved at all, like he'd simply teleported to the side. The Brainiac's fired again, and Jack disappeared, reappearing a step closer to them. This process repeated while the others engaged their own group, until Jack appeared right in front of one of the clones.

It jerked back in surprise, a mistake as Jacks fist shot up, knocking the clones head clean off its shoulders. Wires shot a brief crackle of electricity, before the body fell to the ground limp. Jack turned and grabbed the arm of an attacking clone, and twisted it, feeling metal and wires breaking as he did. He twisted his waist and swung the clone around, slamming it into several others.

The result was a loud boom as they detonated, pieces of debris clattering to the ground. Jack looked to see how the others faired and saw that, ignoring Kara, they were being overwhelmed. He'd have to fix that. Jack shot high into the air, and looked down at where they were thickest in number.

He spotted a large cluster between Arcee and Void and shot forward, slamming into a larger clone in the center of the writhing stock still mass of drones. There was a loud crack as the silver plate on its chest cracked in several areas from the impact. The clone had no time to recover, as Jack relentlessly pounded its chest with his fists, tearing through the outer plating, causing it to fall off in chunks.

Jack shoved his hands into a long crack running along its body, and heaved with all his might. The crack widened, and Jack saw the full internals of the clones body. He felt his strength weaken as he saw a chunk of Dark Energon hidden within the housing of its power source.

Jack stumbled off the large clone, his powers draining fast while the Brainiac clone sat straight up, its head turning to look at him, **"Dark Energon. A power source of many benefits. The Kryptonian weakness is one of those benefits,"**

Jack was sent flying back as the Brainiac clone slammed a fist into his face. Jack skipped across the ground and slid to a stop, moaning in pain. Slowly he got back up, blood dripping from several cuts on his face. He looked up at several Brainiac's the clone he'd torn open leading them.

Jack glared at it and summoned a blast of heat vision, cutting into its chest with ease. A large purple explosion followed, consuming the other clones in a ball of fire. Once the smoke cleared, all that remained were the smoky remains of their inner metal skeletal structures.

"Kara, they're powered by Dark Energon!" Jack warned his sister, his powerful voice cutting through the air, "Be careful!"

The response he got was a Brainiac clone being flung into the air, followed by a lance of scarlet vision cutting clean through it. Jack smiled and turned to see the remaining clones were engaged particularly with Optimus and Voidwalker. Jack and the others immediately engaged the remaining clones, Jack and Kara leading the charge.

He ducked under a blast from one clone, slamming his fist through its lower chest, holding its spinal command system in his hand. The clone slipped off his arm and fell as Jack twisted and slammed his fist into one of the other clones faces. It shattered under the impact, staggering back as Jack flipped forward and slammed his foot into the remaining body.

He flew backwards to dodge a blast from another clone, and Kara flew up next to him. Without a word, the two shot towards the clone and reared their fists back together. With a single thrust, their arms slammed clean through the clone's head, tearing it apart as it fell to the ground in pieces.

Jack dusted off his hands after that, as the last of the clones fell to the bots, decimated with ease. All but one that is, a lone clone, lying on the ground, half its face missing, **"Th-th-this i-i-is n-n-not th-the end. My forces are n-numerous an-and superior Yo-you will fa-fall. It is inevitable,"**

Jack appeared in front of the clone grabbing it by the neck and lifting it into the air, "What do you want, why have you attacked us!?" he demanded.

**"As the Prime wa-was in-informed. I-I a-am the he-herald of Uni-Unicron. Once the Auto-Autobots are no lon-longer a th-threat to-to my plans, I-I will call him here. As I stated pr-previously, your demi-demise is inevitable," **Brainiac smirked.

"I don't think so," Jack growled. There was a metallic snap, and the head tumbled off the body, falling to the ground below. Jack tossed the remaining body aside and landed on the ground in front of the bots.

"So what do we do now Optimus?" Jack and several of the others ask.

"We should return to base, regroup and prepare to launch an assault on Brainiac's ship. We cannot allow his presence to go unchallenged. He is a threat to all life on Earth," Optimus replied looking over his assembled troops.

"But what if he has more Dark Energon aboard his ship?" Bulkhead asked in worry.

"I agree with Bulk," Arcee said "Without Kara and Jack, he'll overwhelm us through numbers,"

"You don't need to worry too much about us Arcee," Jack informed her, "From what I can tell, the effects of Dark Energon have to be in larger quantities and in a certain radius. Me and Kara have already built a small immunity to it, so shards the size of what Slade used I don't think will affect us anymore,"

Arcee frowned, "I still don't think the risk is worth it," she replied.

"While your concern is worth noting Arcee, the choice to assist us is ultimately Kara and Jacks, as it has always been," Optimus said. Arcee reluctantly nodded, Optimus as usual had a point. Jack and Kara weren't being forced to do this, they were choosing to assist them.

"Ugh guys," Bulkhead said, looking upwards, "I think we might want to get to base, and fast!" he yelled pointing behind them all.

Everyone looked to where the wrecker was pointing, their mouths opening in awe. Three large ships, about a quarter the size of the Nemesis, were approaching them. They were a pale blue-green color, and shaped like the Brainiac clones heads. Except that they lacked bodies, with large tendrils dangling from underneath them as well, waving with the low thrum of the engines aboard the massive ships.

Optimus looked to Jack and Kara, "What can you see?" he asked.

Jack and his sister squinted, peeling back the layers of armor and machinery inside the ship. What they saw caused their blood to run cold, "They're troop transports," Kara said, "They're filled with hundreds if not thousands of foot soldiers,"

Optimus placed his hand to his comm. while the ships grew closer, "Ratchet, bridge us back to base at once!" he ordered. Nothing but static was the response he received.

"Autobots, scatter, our communications are being jammed!" Optimus ordered. There was no argument, everyone transformed and drove or flew off in a different direction, trying to outrun the troop transports.

Jack and Kara were the only ones sticking together, they were even stronger when they worked together. They easily cut through the air, ignoring the angry clouds over head that gave sign of rain. Instead they focused on getting away from the transports, hoping that the others would have as much luck.

"Kal?" Kara asked as they flew.

"What is it Kara?"

"What do you think Brainiac meant when he said Void was a Prime?" she asked.

"I'm not sure Kara. He doesn't exactly seem sane though. He _is _serving the chaos bringer," Jack pointed out.

"But what if he wasn't lying, what if… what if Void is a Prime?" Kara said with worry.

"Let's… let's not focus on that right now," Jack said as Kara's worry started affect him as well.

Their conversation was cut short as a green beam of energy lanced between them, causing the two to yelp in surprise, "It as lasers!? When did it have lasers!?" Jack demanded as one of the craft fired from its large eyes, causing the two to weave in vertical circles avoiding it.

"Alright!" Kara yelled as a beam just missed her, "I've had enough of this scrap!" she turned in midair to face the large transports, her eyes glowing an angry red.

"Kara, no!" Jack screamed, trying to stop his sister from doing something stupid.

The girl ignored him, and waited for one of the ships to fire at her. She didn't have to wait long, as the lead one fired two sustained blasts from its eyes, directly at her. Kara scowled and fired her own heat vision at the ship, the two beams clashing in midair, held in place by the sheer force of power behind Kara's vision.

At first, it seemed that Kara was going to hold her own against the beams. That she might hold a chance against the power of Brainiac's weaponry. But the fact was that the strain of the fight and sustained use of her heat vision was starting to weaken her, and it showed. Her beams of energy were already weakening and slowly getting pushed back by the ships.

With a pained sigh, Kara's heat vision died away, the beams from the ship striking her in full. She let out an Earth shattering shriek of pain as the beams hit her, causing every bot to transform and stop, turning to the source of the noise. Slowly, the beam died down, and Kara fell to the earth, unconscious.

"KARA!" Jack screamed, flying towards her as fast as he could as she fell. He managed to stop her from colliding with the ground, skidding against the ground as he held her in his arms.

He put an ear to her chest and let out a sigh of relief as he heard her heart beating strong. The sound of an low rumbling caught his attention, and he looked up to see Void drive up and transform, the rest of the Autobots not too far behind. Void kneeled forward, a concerned look on her faceplates.

"She's okay," Jack told the femme, "Just worn out, she over extended herself," he handed his sister off to her guardian.

Void handled Kara's unconscious form with a tenderness Jack had yet seen from the cold femme, "Oh little one, that was so foolish of you," she said to her unconscious charge quietly.

Jack saw Arcee looking at him concerned and smiled, "I'm fine, but we need to get out of here, those troop transports are still coming," Jack said, jerking a thumb in the direction of the three ships.

Suddenly, a loud explosion impacted the lead one, causing it to rock back and forth as tears traveled up its metal face. In seconds the entire ship tore itself apart, pieces of debris raining to the ground below. Two more shots fired, impacting into the remaining two, destroying them in seconds.

The Autobots looked up in shock to see the Nemesis hovering above them silently. A silver jet and blue jet descended from the ship and transformed, the two figures landing in front of the group. Once the dust from the landing cleared, the forms of Megatron and his new SIC Dreadwing stood before the team.

"Megatron," Optimus growled.

"Optimus, is that anyway to greet your savior?" The con warlord asked, his optics still glowing an eerie violet.

"We didn't need help from the likes of you," Void hissed, keeping a protective servo over Kara's still unconscious form.

"Really?" he asked in mock surprise, "Because it would appear that you had handled those warships with such ease. Even your Kryptonian _dogs _seemed to handle them with little trouble,"

Jack snarled and clenched his fists, ready to tear Megatron a new one, when a servo lightly touched his shoulder. He looked to see Arcee, who silently shook her helm. Now wasn't the time to lose his temper. Jack reluctantly sighed and took in a deep breath, calming himself to reasonable levels.

"What is it you want Megatron?" Optimus demanded, his stance still tense.

"Why, I want nothing more than to propose an alliance of sorts. To end Brainiac and prevent Unicron from rising," Megatron stated.

"Unicron is evil incarnate, if _Megatron _was to take any side, why would it be ours?" Void demanded, glaring at the con.

"Because Megatron's pride would never allow anyone other than himself to rule this planet,"Optimus stated.

"You know me all too well, Optimus." Megatron replied, a little too gleeful for Jack's taste.

"You lead an army of 'Cons, why come to us?"Bulkhead asked.

"Simple, my forces our not strong enough to defeat Brainiac's ship. He would swat us out of the air with ease. But, with the combined might of our forces, I can give you the direct coordinates into Brainiac's floating fortress," Megatron explained.

"A truce between Autobot and Decepticon…how long do you expect us to believe that will last, given the circumstances of our last alliance?"Optimus questioned.

"Only as long as is mutually beneficial," Megatron replied.

"And when our proposed shared mission is complete?"

"I will conquer this Earth…my way," the Warlord replied darkly.

"Brutal honestly from a Decepticon?" Arcee asked, slightly incredulous.

_"ALIGNING WITH THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS IS STILL ALIGNING WITH EVIL!" _Ratchet roared over the comm, adding in his two cents.

"You think that was the full power of Brainiac?" Megatron sneered,"Those foot soldiers were nothing more than a taste! He has yet to release the full bulk of his forces upon you! With each passing moment the Harold of chaos evolves, learns. His very presence has caused Unicron's spark to awaken. Once he has called his master here, the devastation he will wreak upon this world will be make the current destruction quail in comparison!"

"Like your quest for power destroyed Cybertron?"Arcee snapped.

"Make no mistake, this time there will be a planet left for me to rule!" Megatron growled, glaring at the femme.

"Even if we agree, Brainiac's ship is

_huge_," Bulkhead pointed out, "How are we supposed to take it down?"

"Brainiac's systems are not as unbreakable as he'd like to believe. Soundwave has hacked through his systems and learned everything we need to in order to send him plummeting to the sea," Megatron said, smirking.

"Blueprints, that I would be willing to spare, if you agree to my suggestion… Optimus," Megatron said harshly.

Optimus was silently glaring at Megatron for several minutes, before the sound of heavy marching could be heard. Everyone turned to see Brainiac's forces from the troop transports had survived, relatively intact.

Unlike his clones, these troops were roughly Arcee sized, made of pure silver metal, had spikes running along their backs, and large blasters welded to their right arms. Their bodies bore some resemblance to Brainiac's, but it was obvious these were designed purely for combat, as they lacked any form of facial features, just a single red optic in the center of their faceplates.

"I shall give you time to consider my offer. In the mean time, I shall handle Brainiac's forces," with that said, Megatron transformed with Dreadwing, and the two took off, firing at the massive silver army approaching.

Optimus put a servo to his comm, "Ratchet, send a ground bridge."

_Autobot HQ…_

The Autobots filtered into base through the ground bridge one by one, Jack walking next to Void, who still held Kara in her servo. As they walked into the main base though, the girl moaned weakly and opened her eyes, blinking a few times before she realized that Void was carrying her.

"Ugh… Void, you can put me down," she said quietly, hiding her embarrassment at being carried like a child by her guardian.

Void smiled lightly and lowered her servo for her. Kara hopped off and landed lightly on the ground, striding up net to Jack, "So what did I miss?" she asked.

"Megatron saved our afts and offered to help us fight Brainiac," Jack deadpanned.

"You're serious?" Kara asked, a disbelieving look on her face.

"Not the first time king-con has decided to play nice." Jack admitted to her.

Kara held a hand to her head, "I miss out on all the fun when I'm knocked out, don't I?" she asked.

Jack smirked, "Pretty much."

Kara rolled her eyes, and the two flew up onto one of the platforms, ready to join into the conversation, "So Optimus, what's the plan?" Jack asked.

"If Megatron is our only hope of getting aboard Brainiac's ship, then we have no choice but to bridge him here to launch a counter-attack against Brainiac."

"What!?" June exclaimed grabbing a hold of Raf.

"I know desperate times call for desperate measures," Ratchet protested, "but bringing Megatron _here_?"

"_How _could you even _think _about letting that monster _near _these children after what he did to Raf?!" June yelled, holding Raf closer to her.

"He will be closely monitored…and only aloud to linger long enough to send us on our journey." Optimus growled, through gritted denta, "Not. One. Moment. _More._"

"What's gonna stop the 'Con from calling in an air strike if he knows where you live?" Fowler asked.

"By ground bridging Megatron here," Optimus explained, "he will be unable to get a fix on our co-ordinates,"

"Wait Optimus, why not just send Kara and I in to make a hole for you guys so you can be bridged in?" Jack suggested.

"If Brainiac truly is the Harold of Unicron, as he has shown and claimed, then he will possess ample supplies of Dark Energon. We," he motioned to the Autobots, "Are not put in as great a risk as you and Kara are when exposed to the substance. Without your powers, you may be at Brainiac's mercy," Optimus explained.

Jack nodded slowly in understanding. Without his powers, he and Kara were useless, no, a hindrance to the bots. They couldn't really launch an assault on Brainiac with such a high risk to the mission.

"I understand." he said reluctantly.

Optimus bowed his head before turning to look at the Autobots before him, "Autobots, if humankind is to be saved, I have no choice but to proceed," he said, "But you do,"

"Well I don't know about human kind…" Bulkhead started, "but I'm willing to do it...for Miko."

"For Jack," Arcee added, smiling lovingly at Jack, a smile he promptly returned..

'Bee gave a chirp, Raf smiled.

"For Kara," Voidwalker finished.

Everyone looked at Starscream, who had been silent through the whole conversation. He had the least amount of motivation to fight Brainiac, this wasn't his universe, his world. He didn't have to fight and Optimus would not force him to fight if he did not want to.

Starscream sighed and nodded, "I shall fight as well Optimus," he told him before muttering under his breath to low for anyone but Jack and Kara to hear, "For Alexis. "The two exchanged confused glances, but said nothing about what they'd heard.

Optimus put a servo to his comm., "Megatron," Optimus said, putting a servo to his comm. "we are sending transport."

_"You can always be relied upon to listen to reason, Optimus," _Megatron called.

The ground bridge fired, and Ratchet shooed the humans and Kryptonians all towards a hallway.

"You all need to hide, _now_," he said.

"Urgh no _fair_!" Miko whined, "I haven't even _seen _him, why do we have to hide?"

"Because I said so," Ratchet growled.

"Well," Miko said, walking back towards the entrance of the hall as Ratchet turned away, "He didn't say we couldn't look around the corner…"

"You're evil," Jack said, rolling his eyes at the girls antics, "Or crazy…I haven't figured it out quite yet."

She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Reaalll mature," he muttered, she punched him in the shoulder, only to shake her hand in pain.

"Ow, dude you got skin like iron," Miko said, trying to get the feeling back in her hand.

"Or steel," Kara suggested as the four peeked around the hallway.

The sound of someone exiting the ground bridge could be heard by all, followed by a heavy thud. And another. And another. Each footstep sounded like the ticking of a large grandfather clock, echoing through the base with each of the cons massive footsteps.

Slowly, the massive silver form of Megatron was visible by all, standing above everyone, even Optimus and Voidwalker, "So this is where the magic happens," he said in wonder, "_Quaint,"_

Jack felt his grip on the wall tighten, and flakes of concrete fell from the wall onto the floor. Suddenly, a little human form ran out from the corner, causing Jack to curse in surprise.

"Raf!" Jack cried, running after him, everyone else tailing behind him.

"Rafael, Jack!" June cried, "No!"

Raf almost made it to the warlord, "You..." he hissed with more hatred and bitterness than Jack had _ever _heard from him. It made him shiver slightly hearing it from small Raf.

Jack placed a hand on Raf's shoulder, holding him in place while glaring at Megatron, his eyes glowing a faint red. His face practically dared the con warlord to try something, to give him an excuse to use him as a personal punching bag. Sadly, he had no such luck.

"Ahhhh," Megatron said as Arcee placed herself between the humans and the Warlord, pointing her weapons at him.

"You're looking much better than the last we met little one, humans...resilient," Megatron muttered, like he was regretting not finishing Raf off.

Jack growled softly to himself, several ways to quickly finish off the warlord flashing through his mind in an instant. Instead he took in a deep breath, calming his rage.

"Come on Raf, he isn't worth it," he said through gritted teeth.

Raf nearly vibrated with anger under Jack's hands, clearly wanting to say something to the bot that nearly killed him. June came and took him, shooting a venomous glare at Megatron as she led him away. Jack also shot a glare in his direction. But he said nothing. The boy didn't trust himself to speak.

"And you…" Megatron said, causing Jack to halt, his cape fluttering slightly.

"I haven't forgotten about you Kryptonian. I will make certain to repay you someday for the trouble you've caused. Jack looked calmly at the warlord, his face betraying no sign of emotion, the sea of rage and fury building within him.

He turned away and started to walk back towards the others, when Miko, being Miko, decided to say her own two cents towards to con, "YOU DOUBLE-CROSS _ANYONE_…_MINE _IS THE FACE YOU NEVER FORGET!" she bellowed, _"NEVERRRR!" she screamed, as _Fowler dragged her back,

"Ratchet," Optimus said, "Obtain the destination co-ordinates from our…_guest_," he said guest like it was the nicest word he could think of. It probably was.

Jack turned back towards his mom and the others right as a gentle thud of an Autobot footstep sounded behind him.

"Jack?" the deep, even baritone of Optimus asked.

The young Kryptonian teen turned to look at Optimus, "Will you…keep something for me?" he asked, softly.

"Sure," the boy said, shrugging.

Optimus pulled out a thin, elegant looking piece of metal. He gave a slight nod at it and it began to collapse in on itself…so much that it became the right size for a human hand. Optimus handed it to Jack carefully.

"What is it?" he asked as he took it with exaggerated care. The thin metal of the device looked as if it could break at any moment if he wasn't careful.

"It is…the key to the ground bridge power supply," Optimus muttered, his optics never meeting with Jack's eyes.

"Uh…ok," Jack stuttered, not for a moment believing the Primes obvious lie, but choosing not to press him for answers "But…shouldn't Ratchet have this?" he asked instead.

"Perhaps," the Prime said, "but I've been impressed by how much you have matured since we first met. As such, I feel you have earned the responsibility of safe guarding this important device...until I return."

Jack smiled faintly at the Primes confidence and nodded, "I swear on the house of El that I'll keep it safe Optimus." he said in a rare moment of eloquence for him. The Prime smiled faintly and stood.

A thought occurred to him, "Optimus, this Brainiac… you can beat him right? You guys will all make it back?" he asked.

Optimus said nothing, "You don't know do you?" Jack asked.

Again, silence, "Well, just no this Optimus. If things go South, even a little Dark Energon won't stop us from coming to save you guys." Jack said confidently.

Optimus smiled once more before he turned and walked away.

Jack looked down at the key, there was something about it that was special, but he didn't know what. It had the same feel to it as the key that Jor-El had given to him as a birthright did. As if… as if there was more to it than meets the eye.

Jack looked up from the key, and saw the bots leaving one by one through the portal behind Megatron. Arcee was the last to follow, and she stopped to look one last time at Jack, her optics locking with his eyes.

_"I love you," _he mouthed.

_"I love you too, Superboy." _she replied teasingly. Then she was gone too, and the ground bridge shut down…

_Brainiac's Ship…_

Everyone emerged out into a well lit hallway that stretched upwards to high to see. It easily fit all the bots and Megatron with ease. Arcee looked around the area before glaring at Megatron.

"Lead the way." she ordered to him.

Megatron smirked, "As you wish." he replied mockingly. He started forwards, everyone else following behind, blasters activated.

"How long until Brainiac knows we're here?" Starscream asked, his blade extended.

"Make no mistake," Megatron warned, "he has known we were here since we arrived."

Little did they know how right he was. Within his central chamber, the Harold of Unicron watched the intruders walk through the halls of his ship. Brainiac smirked, Megatron had done as he'd predicted, and asked for the help of the Autobots. He knew that his own forces were insufficient to defeat him, and had enlisted those who had defeated him time and time again.

**"So, Megatron, you have made you move," **he pressed a single button on the terminal, **"Now I must make mine."**

**A/N: *Sighs in relief* Did not like writing this chapter. So not fun. Hopefully the next one will have some more awesome moments in it. But, what do you guys think huh? Did YOU like the chapter, more than the last one, less, the same? Let me know in your reviews. Also, apologies for not updating yesterday, but it's kind of hard to update on your birthday, so I think I had a good excuse. Anyway, the final part of New Threats Part ONE should come out tomorrow. No need to worry, this story won't be broken into separate stories. Simply divided into three "seasons" or parts. Part Two is going to be the longest by far, and will have both serious and VERY goofy chapters in it. Anyway, review and PM me with comments, questions, etc. Bye!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Knowledge Comes With a Price

_Brainiac's Ship…_

The bots and Megatron walked through the halls, tensed and ready for whatever Brainiac was going to throw at them. So far they'd been lucky, and the Herald of Unicron so far had done little in the way of trying to stop them. That didn't mean he didn't know they were there, but maybe he simply didn't perceive them as a threat… yet.

"How much farther?" Arcee asked, growing nervous and impatient.

"We still have a ways to go. The fact that Brainiac has not attacked us yet is purely a stroke of good fortune," Megatron replied without turning his head.

"Right, good fortune," Bulkhead mumbled under his breath as they walked. They walked no farther than a few more footsteps before the sound of shifting metal echoed through the halls.

Megatron froze, and raised a servo, "We have been detected," he rasped quietly.

As if that was the magic word, droves of flying drones came out of ports in the walls high above. Each drone was different than the past ones seen in use by Brainiac. They were disc shaped with his emblem emblazoned upon it. Tendrils trailed behind them, and the very front would split open every time a shot was fired.

"Autobots, move forward," Optimus ordered as he ran into the thick of the attack force, Void and Megatron charging with him.

The Prime leap forward, blade extended, and sliced through a drone with ease, the two halves clattering behind him. He shifted his other arm to blaster mode and opened fire into the mass of drones swarming them. The others swiftly joined him, cutting through the drones with steel, blaster fire, and physical might.

Void and Arcee wound up fighting back to back, their blasters lighting up the surrounding area as the drones swarmed them. Void twisted and fired over the two-wheelers head, hitting a drone dead center. Arcee smiled and nodded her thanks to the femme, who had already returned to her task at hand.

Arcee frowned before viciously attacking a drone, tearing it apart with her arm blades. The drone fell to the ground, dead and none functioning. At least the drones were easy to kill, she'd thought that something like Brainiac would have tougher forces than that.

As if in answer to her thoughts, the door that they'd entered earlier suddenly opened up, revealing more of the silver soldiers that Megatron's forces had engaged elsewhere. They raised their right arms in unison and opened fire. Blasts of red energy whizzed by, and the group was split in two. One half assaulted Brainiac's troops while the other held off the slowly diminishing force of drones.

"We need to find a way out now!" Optimus stated after he sliced a trooper in two.

"There is no way out, Brainiac has both exits covered!" Void informed him.

"Then we make our own," Starscream growled angrily. He sliced the arm of a trooper and slammed it out of the way with his shoulder as he charged at the wall.

He slammed his sword into the wall, the intense heat reducing the metal to molten slag as he began carving an entrance. Sparks flew off as he cut his way through, and the group provided cover support. Within seconds, the seeker had cut a hole large enough to fit Megatron and Optimus if they ducked, and kicked the sheet of metal down.

"Through here, NOW!" he ordered, pointing at the entrance.

One by one the Autobots filtered through the hole, firing at the army that had assaulted them earlier. Once everyone was through, Starscream ducked in ,pulling the plate of steel up behind him and letting its molten edges seal together. He dusted his servos off and turned back to the group.

"That won't hold them forever," Megatron pointed out.

"No it won't, but it will buy us time until we manage to find Brainiac," Starscream countered.

"Right well, first we should figure out where _we _are before looking for him," Bulkhead said, looking around the new room that Starscream had lead them into.

It appeared to be a laboratory of some sorts. It had various counters and tables littered with odd tools and pieces of broken equipment. Large lights hung from the ceiling, leaving the mid size room brightly illuminated. And scattered around the lab were glowing golden orbs of various sizes.

The bots spread out looking around the lab for an exit, "What exactly are these orbs?" Arcee asked, grabbing one in a servo. Her optics widened as a sudden flush of knowledge entered her processor in an instant.

"You alright?" Bulkhead asked.

She nodded, "I'm fine, the orbs are some sort of… information vessel," Arcee said as she explored the lab.

"Question is why would Brainiac have a lab aboard his ship with a bunch of information orbs floating around?" Arcee asked, looking over a table covered in a brownish red dust.

"Brainiac is a seeker of knowledge. It is his purpose. And not all knowledge can be downloaded," Megatron said walking amongst the tables.

"And you'd know this…" Bulkhead asked examining what might have been a door.

"He told me," Megatron answered simply.

A loud rumbling suddenly echoed through the lab, and twenty or so clones of Brainiac emerged from the ceiling. Each one was roughly the size of Arcee, and from the relatively emotionless looks on their faces, they were clearly not happy that the bots were here.

**"First you wanted to be the herald of my master. Now you work with his enemies to destroy me," **they said in sync, **"Your actions are most illogical Megatron. Regardless, your termination is inevitable,"**

One of the clones suddenly exploded as Megatron fired a single blast into its chest, "You will have to work hard to extinguish my spark machine," Megatron growled.

Several slots opened and more Brainiac clones, along with his foot soldiers poured out, **"You are correct Megatron. I predict a 98.237% chance of your extermination. No other force has achieved those odds. Congratulations," **the sound of weapons charging could be heard echoing through the lab, **"Now perish"**

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack sat watching the TV with everyone else in a mildly depressed state as he waited for news to arrive about the Autobots. He'd grown worried the moment they left, and his worry was obvious to everyone. Of course, the news wasn't helping lighten his mood any.

_"More than 60 volcanoes are erupting worldwide…and downtown Honolulu is under six inches of snow,"_ the reporter said, _"Scientists continue to devise theories connecting these unprecedented natural disasters with the planetary alignment which..."_ And there was a bunch of static.

Jack closed his eyes and tilted his head. He hoped that it was just from the storm, that the man was okay.

"So…" June said, changing the subject, "Who wants to play a game?" the three kids looked at her like she was crazy.

"That tears it!" Fowler yelled, storming towards the elevator

"Where are _you_ going?" June asked.

"I can't just sit on my hands while the world spins out of control!" Fowler cried, throwing up his hands.

"And what exactly is it that you intend to do?" Ratchet asked, turning his blue gaze on the agent.

"Anything!" Fowler yelled, "Hook up with my boys at the pentagon, figure out a way to bury that monster for good."

"In the event Optimus _can't_?" Ratchet growled.

"Don't you mean Optimus and _Megatron_?" Fowler retorted. Jack glared at the Agent but said nothing.

"No one here is thrilled about this arrangement Agent Fowler, myself included," Ratchet sighed, "But with Optimus and Megatron together again..."

"Whoa w-wait?" Jack asked, "_Again_?"

"_Megatron_ was an Autobot?" Raf asked.

"Optimus was a '_Con_?" Miko gasped.

"No, on either count," Ratchet said, "but there was a time, back on Cybertron in the twilight hours of the Golden Age, when Optimus and Megatron were not…sworn enemies," he looked at the three kids, a nostalgic look in his optics.

"Do you re-call when I mentioned Optimus wasn't always a Prime?" Ratchet asked, they nodded "Well he wasn't always _Optimus_ either,"

"Before Optimus was made a Prime, Cybertron was ruled by another, Sentinel Prime. And his daughter Celestial Prime. Sentinel had once helped Cybertron fend off a grave threat eons ago, and created a system of castes for our world to live in. For a time peace reigned," his expression hardened.

"But as time passed, corruption grew rampant among the classes, few taking care to notice the problems of those beneath them. Celestial Prime was one of the few who did, but that is besides the point," Ratchet said realizing he'd gone off track.

"Optimus was once a clerk, in the Iacon Hall of Records," Ratchet continued, "named…Orion Pax. But as he learned more about Cybertron's past…he grew increasingly concerned about the present corruption in high places, and inequality among the masses,

"Orion became inspired by the words and ideas of a gladiator…one who had named himself after one of the 13 original Primes…Megatronus…"

"Megatronus vowed to challenge Cybertron's leadership and demand all Cybertronians be treated as equals! This gladiator turned revolutionary rapidly gathered a loyal following…Soundwave chief among them," Jack smiled faintly at the memories of using the con as his personal punching bag, before returning his attention to Ratchet.

"Orion began corresponding with Megatronus and he became as a mentor to him. As Megatronus left the gladiatorial arena for the political, he saw fit to shorten his name. Before long _**Megatron**_ appeared before the High Council to purpose his vision…for a just society. And it was here that he began to reveal his true colors, proclaiming the need to overthrow the Old Guard with force and arrogantly demanding to be named the next Prime,"

"But Orion did not believe in violence as a means of achieving justice. The sparks and minds of the Council were moved by _Orion's_ words…_here_ for the first time since Cybertron's Golden Age…stood someone worthy of being a Prime! But that honor could only truly be achieved…by earning the legendary Matrix of Leadership,"

"His ambitions thwarted, Megatron spitefully severed all ties with Orion and the Council…and came to wage war on all who opposed him through his growing army of followers which he named… Decepticons.

"He vowed to claim the Matrix for himself wherever it might lie. In time warfare consumed Cybertron, poisoning the planet to its core. Orion journeyed there, hoping to reverse the ill effects and found himself before the very spark of our life giver…Primus himself,"

"The ailing Primus sensed the innate nobility within Orion and bestowed the Matrix upon him. It was thus that a surprised and humble Orion Pax came to be, Optimus, the last of the Primes." Ratchet looked back at the children, who had questioning looks on their faces.

"Okay, so if Cybertron already had a ruler, and an heir to the throne, what happened to Celestial and Sentinel?" Jack asked.

"Sentinel disappeared at the beginning of the war, and Celestial joined Megatron's cause, functioning as both his second in command for a time… and his lover," Ratchet said, his tone filled with sadness.

Jack wrinkled his face in disgust, "So that meant there was a power vacuum right?" Kara asked.

Ratchet nodded, "Hence the reason the Autobots were able to be united. If there had been two Primes at once, the war would have been quickly lost. As it was, Optimus quickly learned that Celestial had in fact not truly joined the Decepticon cause, but was functioning as a double agent," Ratchet explained.

"So she supplied Intel to the bots?" Kara asked.

Ratchet nodded, "Until the very end of the war, when Megatron finally discovered her and… snuffed her spark in front of Optimus," he said sadly.

Realization dawned on Jack, "They were close weren't they?" Jack said, more than asked.

The medic nodded, "Very, had Megatron not killed her there was a good chance the two would have bonded after the war. As it stands though, Celestial Prime was killed, leaving Optimus as the last true Prime,"

A sudden thought occurred to Jack, "So what's to stop Megatron from claiming the Matrix for himself _this_ time around?" Jack asked.

"Only his greater desire to save this planet so that he may in turn conquer it, as he so compellingly argued," Ratchet snorted, "Provided the Lord of the Decepticons can ever be _fully_ trusted,"

There was a dying beep from the terminal…and all the Autobots' signals went offline.

"Communication links are down as expected, but we've lost their signal!" Ratchet said.

Raf's eyes went wide with worry, "Doesn't that mean?" he asked, voice trembling.

"Usually," Ratchet said, "but a more likely explanation would be the severe interference caused by these electromagnetic anomalies."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. They could be ok.

"So if we can't track them and they can't contact us..." Raf started.

"How are we gonna know when they're ready for pick up?" Miko finished.

Ratchet was about to respond, when the television suddenly flickered back on… with Brainiac's face in the view, **"Greetings people of Earth. I am Brainiac, Herald of Unicron the Chaos-Bringer," **Jack imagined quite a few people would be confused by a man named Brainiac claiming to be the Herald of a unicorn chaos bringer, but then that might just have been him.

**"For those who do not know, I am the occupant of the ship that your news system has been focused on. I simply wish to discourage any acts of violence towards my ship," **he said in his chilling monotone.

Miko snorted, "Bit late for that brainy," she said.

**"I do not wish to cause any more harm than is necessary. But if any attempts are made to attack my ship," **he paused and the camera rotated to show something off screen.

A collective gasp arose from everyone at base as the camera zoomed in to focus on the Autobots, tied and gagged. Even Megatron and Optimus were beaten, covered in dents scratches and leaking Energon in large amounts. Jack clenched his fists as he saw Arcee staring at the camera defiantly but weakly as well.

The camera refocused on Brainiac, **"Your planets defenders have been defeated, any attempts to rescue them will be met with extreme repercussions," **his white eyes seemed to look directly at Jack, **"And to Kal-El, I say this. If you wish to see your friends unharmed, you shall surrender to me at once… or they die. Starting with the blue female," **the screen flickered off, leaving the base in silence.

Jack looked silently at the ground, his mind racing at a thousand miles a minute. It was just like Zod all over again. He was at the mercy of Brainiac, force to listen to the crazed machines… Wait, Brainiac wasn't alive, he was an AI, and artificial intelligence. Jack clenched his hands as he stood up.

"I'm going," he declared, to the surprise of everyone.

"What!?" June demanded, the first to break the silence.

"I'm not going to stand by while he holds all our friends hostage mom," Jack said turning to face her.

"Remember what happened the last time you did something like that!?" June exclaimed.

Jack winced as he remembered when he turned himself into Zod, "I'm not turning myself in mom, I'm going to go up there, tear Brainiac apart, and rescue the Autobots," Jack explained.

"Then you should let me come with you Kal," Kara said walking up to the two.

Jack shook his head and reached into his belt, "No, Kara I need you to stay here-"

"Like Pit I am!" she yelled at him.

"And call in the Titans," Jack finished, handing her the communicator Robin had give him.

Kara blinked back in surprise, "W-what?"

"I need you to call in the Titans, have them bridge to base and prepare to assault Brainiac's ship. If I'm not back within half an hour, then go all out on him," Jack told her.

"And if that's still not enough?" Kara asked, concern on her face.

Jack smiled faintly, "It'll have to, we can't afford to wait any longer,"

Jack turned back to June and the others, June embracing her son, "If you don't come back safe you're grounded for life, understand?" she told him quietly.

Jack smiled faintly, "Of course," he said softly.

He looked to Miko and Raf, his first two friends and the first humans out of his family to know his secret. Raf walked up to Jack with a worried expression, "You sure you can handle Brainiac?" he asked.

"I have to at least try Raf, the Autobots were willing to put themselves on the line for Earth, I owe them the same courtesy," Jack told the boy.

Raf nodded slowly with understanding, "Good luck then," he said to his Kryptonian friend.

Jack looked at Miko, who was rubbing her arm nervously, "Just… just come back alive okay?" she said, "And maybe bring back a souvenir?"

Jack smiled and nodded, "I'll see what I can find," he turned to Ratchet, "How close can you open a bridge to the ship without alerting Brainiac?" he asked.

"Two, three miles tops," Ratchet informed him.

He nodded, "Open the bridge then, its time someone cleared Brainiac's hard drive,"

_Brainiac's Ship…_

The Autobots and Megatron struggled against their binds while Brainiac himself, the original, watched them closely. They had been overwhelmed, his numbers had been to great and now they were at the mercy of the herald of Unicron. Since he'd restrained them, the AI had made little efforts to communicate or threaten them since he'd made his speech to the world.

Instead he stared at them with a blank unblinking expression, as if examining them for some detail. Finally, Optimus spoke to the AI, "Why serve Unicron, you know that he will destroy you once he has been fully awakened," Optimus told him.

**"I am, Optimus Prime," **Brainiac said calmly, **"However, I do not intend to serve Unicron once he has awoken," **Brainiac declared.

The confused looks on every ones faceplates caused him to elaborate, **"When I agreed to serve Unicron, he endowed me with knowledge of all Cybertronian history. It was there that I realized there is one item that can destroy my master," **is eyes focused on Optimus Prime, or more specifically, his chest plate.

"The Matrix," Optimus said quietly.

**"Correct Optimus Prime, when utilized the Matrix of Leadership will destroy Unicron. And once he is gone, I shall use what's left of his power to enable me to collect the remaining knowledge throughout the universe," **he declared.

"And then what?" Bulkhead asked worriedly.

Brainiac looked at him with a bored expression, **"I will then destroy the universe," **he said in a casual monotone.

"What!? Why!?" Several bots demanded at once.

**"The value of the knowledge will become more valuable if the source is gone," **Brainiac replied.

The Cybertronians looked at him shocked as the AI floated to the pod Megatron had seen him leave earlier, **"However, I must finish downloading the remaining knowledge from Earth before I can call Unicron,"**

Brainiac ignored the protests and death threats from his prisoners as he sat in the pod. He reached his arms up and the edges of his fingers extended, connecting into five holes on either side of him. His face popped off and extended forward with his chest plate, exposing his inners. Several cables descended and attached themselves inside his frame and to the three circles on his detached forehead, securing themselves in place. A low whine began to echo through the chamber as the cables started to glow an eerie green.

Everyone struggled against the bindings, but there injuries, coupled with the strength of the cuffs prevented them from breaking free. Arcee stopped struggling for a moment, venting slightly to cool her systems down. She closed her optics as she realized they were doomed, Jack wouldn't stop Brainiac, not if he had access to Dark Energon. She'd die and never see him again.

As if in answer to her plight, the sound of a large crash followed by tearing metal could be heard as an entire chunk of the ceiling was torn open. A lone figure slammed into the ground, crouched slightly. Slowly, Jack got up dusting the dust and debris off his suit. He looked to Brainiac with an angry expression as he walked slowly towards the much larger robot.

**"Kal-El," **the being greeted.

"I assume you're the real Brainiac?" Jack asked as he stopped in front of him.

**"You're assumption is correct, in a sense," **Brainiac said, his face and chest reconnecting, his fingers remaining attached to their ports.

**"I am the original body for the entity known as Brainiac, the only one capable of supporting my consciousness in full," **he stated.

"Good, so once I'm done using your head as a basketball I should have no trouble ripping your ship apart," Jack said, cracking his neck casually.

Brainiac smirked** "You may try," **he said as his fingers retracted. His larger form stood up glaring down at Jack.

Jack said nothing, instead shooting straight towards the large form of Brainiac. He punched him in the face with a right hook followed by a left hook and another right hook. He repeated this process, Brainiac stumbling back as he did. Dents and cracks started to appear in his face, and with one final uppercut, he was sent crashing into his pod, a large crack running up his face.

Jack landed on the ground in front of the robot, dusting his hands, "So much for him," he said and turned to the bots.

"So-" a large beam of white energy slammed into Jack, sending him crashing into a wall on the far side of the room.

"Jack!" Arcee cried, struggling against her binds with renewed energy.

**"Your overconfidence blinds you, Son of Krypton," **Brainiac said, standing up out of the pod, walking toward the teen.

Jack heaved himself back to his feet as he stumbled around slightly, before shaking his head and glaring at the robot, "Coming from you, that doesn't mean much," he said and launched up, knocking Brainiac into the air.

He grabbed him by the foot and spun the robot around, quickly picking up speed. With one final heave, he launched him across the chamber, and watched as he slid across the ground. Jack moved quickly, ripping off the bindings on each of the Bots, even Megatron. The con glared at Jack as he stood up, but Jack ignored it.

"That's three you owe me for saving you aft," Jack told him. The warlord simply scoffed and walked off.

"Jack come on," Arcee said, motioning for him to follow them.

Jack looked to see Brainiac slowly getting up off the ground, and looked back to Arcee, "Go on ahead, I'll finish off Brainiac," Jack told her.

She opened her mouth to protest, "Go! I'll be fine!" he ordered. Reluctantly, the bots filed out, leaving Jack to confront Brainiac.

**"You are foolish to confront me alone, Kal-El," **Brainiac told him as he stood.

Jack rolled his eyes as he lifted into the air, "Save the speech Brainiac, I'm sick and tired of all the melodramatic speeches that you villain types seem to enjoy," he said with disdain.

Brainiac said nothing and instead attacked Jack with a blast of coalesced energy. He dodged the blast and flew right at the machine. He slammed into him with a loud resounding crack, as his chest plate shattered under his blow. Jack gripped him by the neck, and flipped him over his shoulder, slamming Brainiac into the ground.

He dropped onto his throat and shoved his hands between the cracks starting to form in his collar. He grunted slightly as he peeled away the layers of armor protecting Brainiac's innards, and finally ripped the chest plate off. Only to get blasted back from a beam of whit energy.

Jack held a hand to his head as he sat up, "What the," his eyes widened as he saw a much smaller Brainiac emerge from the Arcee sized body he'd _thought _was the real one. This one could only be about 7 feet tall, but seemed even more dangerous than the one he'd just fought.

"A secondary body, designed to protect my true form," Brainiac said as he walked stiffly towards Jack.

"And?" Jack asked as he got back to his feet, ready for a fight.

"This one is superior to my previous form in almost every way," Brainiac stated.

"Doubt it," Jack said and charged the AI. Brainiac lifted a single arm, and a red light engulfed Jack. The effects were almost instantaneous as Jacks powers failed him and he fell to the floor with a thud. He felt incredibly weak as Brainiac approached a terminal that had begun floating by Jack, his beam of red light focused on him.

"The red rays of a red giant," Brainiac said, "Your powers are useless under its gaze," Brainiac said confidently.

Jack struggled to get up, the red rays having drained his powers almost instantly. He looked up and glared at Brainiac angrily. The Herald of Unicron ignored him and extended his fingers into the hole, continuing to download information from Earth.

Jack grit his teeth and felt a flow of energy into him. He wouldn't let Brainiac win, he couldn't! With an enraged yell, Jack suddenly stood to his feet and twisted Brainiac around, grabbing and crushing his fist to the machines surprise. He tore his extended fingers free without properly removing them, causing them to tear apart and spark wildly.

Jack slammed his fist into Brainiac's chest and felt his strength returning as he flew up with the machine in hand, and slammed through the floor of the ship. The two crashed through several layers of flooring before finally crashing into a large area with several larger generators connected to terminals

They crashed through one of said terminals before coming to a stop on the floor. Alarms started blaring through the ship as several explosions chained through the engines. Brainiac's face looked to Jack's, a good chunk of the metal having been torn from his bald head.

"You will regret what you have done today, Son of Krypton," he growled, in the only form of emotion Jack ever heard him say.

"Doubt it," Jack said as an explosion went off above them. The sound of screeching metal quickly accompanied it and Jack looked up to see a large piece of metal scrap falling towards him at an alarming rate. He jumped out of the way instinctively in time to hear the loud boom of the metal colliding with metal.

Once the smoke cleared, he saw Brainiac struggling against the piece of metal that had trapped his legs, "Should have stayed a step ahead Brainiac," Jack quipped, hearing the mental groans of his friends at his awful joke.

Turning to look up, Jack quickly shot up through the holes he'd created as the entire ship began to detonate. Explosions ripped through the halls and walls collapsed as Jack raced to escape. He was tough, but he wasn't sure if he was 'survive an exploding ship' tough. Jack shot through the roof of the ship into the air and turned around in time to see the entire ship slowly falling out of the sky, the clouds around it having cleared and the volcano going silent.

Slowly, the ship crashed into the ground, metal and armor tearing and breaking apart as explosions rippled along its hull. The sound of twisting metal could be heard as its bow twisted upwards as it scraped against the ground. The stern slowly fell to meet up with the bow, and slammed into the ground. Seconds later, an earth shattering explosion ripped through the ship. Fire and smoke ripped into the air as the hull was reduced to smoldering wreckage, and Brainiac was no more…

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack watched the sun set over the horizon slowly, enjoying the peacefulness that had come with the defeat of Brainiac. Once his ship was destroyed, the teen had returned to base to find that Megatron had been sent packing and that the Titans had only just responded to Kara's calls, apparently preoccupied with their own problems in the city.

Now with all those problems sorted out, Ratchet was fixing everyone up and checking for injuries. Jack was just grateful they were all in one piece, and that he'd made it in time. He was terrified to imagine what would have happened if he'd been too late. What he would have done to Arcee if…

Jack shook his head, he didn't need to think about what _might _have happened, better to focus on what was going on right now. And right now, he felt a servo on his shoulder and looked up to see a human sized Arcee smiling down at him. He returned the smile as he stood up next to her.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked.

Jack smiled and wrapped an arm around Arcee's waist, "Yeah, just… thinking about how peaceful everything is, with Brainiac gone and all," he told her.

"Speaking of Brainiac," Arcee said, causing Jack to let go and look at her worried.

The femme rolled her eyes," No nothing bad Jack," she reached into her subspace and pulled out a glowing gold orb. It was completely smooth and pulsed softly, shifting from a soft yellow to a bright white.

"What is it?" Jack asked looking at the orb.

"I found it on Brainiac's ship, he had thousands of them," she said. Jack gave her a confused look, "It's a data storage device, contains all the history of anyone world that Brainiac has visited," she smiled softly.

Jacks eyes widened and he nodded, "And this one?" he asked.

"Contains all the history of Krypton before it was destroyed," Arcee told him.

Jack looked at her shocked, "H-how do you… well… use it?"

Arcee held her servo out, "Just take it in both hands, and focus on something you want to see. Just grabbing it with both hands will cause all of it to rush into your mind,"

Jack nodded and took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly and extending his arms. He carefully took the orb in both hands, and gasped at what he saw. Images of Krypton, his home world flashed through his mind, traveling across grassy fields, alien cities, mountain ranges… and finally, a large house built into the side of a mountain range.

The images moved into the house, and Jack saw two people standing in a lab. One was a man in his forties, and Jack quickly realized it was his father Jor-El. He stood by a woman with dark black hair, pale skin and stormy blue eyes. Jack felt his breath hitch as he realized it was his mother, and that in her arms she held… him.

Brainiac must have passed over Krypton shortly before its destruction to have gotten these images. They only lasted for a short time, but he saw the love and care on his mother and fathers face as they looked over their small infant child, peacefully asleep in his mother's arms. Jack felt tears fill his eyes as the vision ended and he was returned to the real world.

He looked to Arcee who had a concerned look on her faceplate, and embraced her, carefully holding the orb in his hands, "Thank you," he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks, "So much,"

Arcee returned the hug, "You're welcome Jack," she replied. The two stood there embraced in the sunset, neither one breaking their embrace…

_Wreckage of Brainiac's ship…_

Starscream and several Vehicons combed through the wreck of Brainiacs ship, searching for any valuable artifacts that might have survived his destruction. Most of what might have been useful was reduced to a lowly melted pile, and Starscream cursed his luck for being chosen for salvage duty…

Until he came across a heavily damaged Brainiac clone. As far as he knew, the clones had very advanced weapons and defense technology. He reached under the rubble and started pulling away at it, his servo brushing against the body. A slight spark went off between the two, and Starscream growled under his breath as he pulled the body out and held it in a servo.

"Dead and useless, just like all the others," he growled, and tossed the body aside, unaware of what had just happened.

Brainiac watched through Starscream's optics as he continued to comb the wreckage of the ship. His plans had been set back for now, the loss of his ship and forces had ensured that. But in time, he would find a more… suitable body than that of the Seeker he had hidden in. And when he found it… chaos… would reign….

**End Part 1**

**A/N: Dun Dun DUUUN! So, that's the end of the Brainiac trilogy. Whatcha guys think? Please tell me in the reviews below, I crave your feedback! As for what happens next, well, that's for ME to know and YOU to find out, isn't it? But if you want hints or ideas, just PM me, I'll happily answer any questions you may have. In the meantime, hope you liked the chapter! Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Part Two**

Chapter 20: The Return

_Bank of Jasper…_

The bank was relatively small and simple by bank standards. A series of desks lined two of the walls with brass lamps illuminating each one. The other half was dedicated to offices and a waiting area filled with various toys and magazines to keep families occupied. The windows were tinted to keep the sunlight out, and the large metal frame of the bank vault was easy for anyone to see, located behind the tellers.

Currently, the bank was relatively unoccupied, with only a handful of people occupying it, no more than ten or eleven people at max. The general feel of the atmosphere was relaxed and at ease. At least until the doors opened and six men all dressed in black body armor and holding large duffel bags under their arms walked in.

One of them, the leader who wore a pair of sunglasses over his hockey mask pulled out a pistol and fired once into the ceiling, causing almost everyone to duck and let out surprised screams, "Ladies and gentleman," he started, "It is my privilege to inform you all that you are in the middle of an armed robbery. Rest assured, no harm shall come to you or your loved ones so long as you do as we say. Understood?" he received various nods from everyone.

"Good," he turned to his lackeys, pointing to the two behind him "You two, get the money from the vault," he ordered. The two nodded and walked to the teller, pulling out automatic machine guns from their duffle bags, pointing them at the tellers.

He turned to another three and motioned to the cowering civilians, "Frisk them for money, but _no _firing unless necessary," he ordered quiet enough only for them to hear. The three nodded and one began walking around with an open bag as people threw in their belongings.

The leader watched this with a satisfied feeling, when he noticed something odd. A teenager, no more than 16 or 17 was watching them from the wall casual as could be, as if he wasn't aware that he was in the middle of a bank robbery. The man frowned behind his mask and walked up to him casually holding his rifle in his arms.

"You lost kid?" he asked only slightly hiding his irritation.

The teen turned his grey-blue eyes on him as if noticing that he was here for the first time, "No, just waiting for my turn in line," he replied casually.

The man was thankful for his mask, because now he was just confused, "You do realize this is a robbery right?" he asked.

The teen looked at his men casually, a frown forming on his face, "So it is, and your point?"

He pointed his rifle at his head, "My point is, hand over your valuables, get on the ground, and I won't be forced to blow your brains all over the wall,"

The teen chuckled, "Scary," he said, "if I hadn't heard you order your men _not _to shoot us," he told him.

The man tightened his grip on the rifles stock, his finger on the trigger, "I'm serious kid, hand them over,"

The teen smirked, "Make me big man," he retorted.

"Alright, fine!" he yelled and pulled the trigger. The loud boom of a single shot echoed through the building, and the man let his gun drop to the gun in fear.

The teen stood there completely unharmed, the bullet caught casually between his fingers while he scratched at his an itch on his nose. He looked at the bullet and then the criminal and smiled innocently, "Okay, you've had your turn," his innocent look suddenly became darker, "Now it's mine,"

With a casual flick of his hand, the man went flying backwards and crashed into a couch, rolling over it on his back, out cold. The teen turned to the remaining five who stared at him shocked. He raised a single hand and motioned with a 'bring it on' gesture towards the five. The dropped their bags and all opened fire on him, the teen crossing his arms and yawning casually as the bullets bounced off him as if he were made of steel.

There was a simultaneous clicking noise as their guns ran out of ammo and the men started backing away. The teen smiled, before disappearing in a burst of speed. He appeared next to the nearest man grabbing his rifle and wrenching it out of his hand. He thumped him lightly on the head, and he collapsed like a sack of bricks on the floor.

He looked to the remaining four and leapt towards the next man, kicking his legs out and knocking him off his feet before kneeing him into another man, both flying into the wall with a loud thud. The last two had managed to reload by now and pointed their rifles at him ready to fire. He smirked and took in a deep breath.

The two fired at him as he released his pent up air that came out as a furious blizzard of ice. He watched satisfied as the bullets froze in place and the barrels of their guns were frozen shut. The two men looked at their guns confused before the teen appeared in front of one of them and knocked him out with a single light punch to the gut.

The last man took smartest route of the six. He ran away running straight for the door. The teen looked at the door and two beams exited his eyes, melting it shut and stopping the man dead in place. He turned back and looked at the teen with fear as he chuckled.

"I'm not going to kill you, it's not my style," he told the man.

"W-what the h-hell are you?" the robber asked his voice cracking slightly.

The teen smirked, "All you need to know is that you chose to rob the wrong town," he replied. Then with a swift kick, the man was knocked out cold.

Jack let out a sigh and casually pushed the open door open, breaking the melted metal like it was rotten wood. He looked back at the mess he left and walked to the bank Manager, a man hiding under his desk.

"You alright?" he asked.

The man slowly peaked out from under the desk and nodded shakily, "Good," Jack said and looked at the unconscious robbers, "Sorry about the mess, I'll clean it up and send the robbers to Jail," he told him and walked towards the mess of ice and overturned furniture, ignoring the stares of awe.

"W-wait!" the manager called. Jack stopped and looked back at the manager, "We c-could always use extra security here if you're interested," he offered.

Jack smiled faintly, "Thanks but no thanks. I already have a job of my own," he told the man.

"Are you sure? Whatever they're paying I'll double it!"

Jack turned away, "You couldn't afford it," he told him and in seconds the mess was cleaned up and tucked away as Jack casually exited the bank dragging the six unconscious criminals behind him right as several police cruisers pulled up and their occupants exited, looking at the odd sight before them.

One of the officers approached Jack as he pulled the men in front of him, "They tried robbing the bank, threatened to kill me, and put everyone's lives at risk. Don't believe me, check the video cameras," he told them. Without another word he took off into the air, leaving the cops just standing their stunned.

Jack smiled to himself as he saw the stunned looks from the cops and took off flying to the direction of the base. He had a lot to look forward to today. Ever since the defeat of Brainiac, things had been real peaceful. The cons had toned down their assaults, MECH had practically faded from existence, and no sign of inter-dimensional enemies had yet to rear their ugly heads.

Jack smiled as the familiar mesa came into view and he descended to the ground, flying close enough to it that he could let his hand skim along it if he wanted. He decided against it though, as he would probably wind up leaving a good long gash in the ground if he did.

The base doors slowly opened with a low creak and hollow boom. Jack flew between the opening doors with ease and began gliding along the ground. He entered the main hall with a quiet whoosh and went straight up to the top of the base. He let his flight kick off and fell back towards the ground watching as it sped towards him. At the last second he put his feet under himself and slowed his descent so that he landed on the platform with a gentle thump.

Everyone else watched his entrance with either rapt attention or disinterest, "Show off," Miko mumbled to herself.

Jack grinned lazily as he walked to the human living area and leaned against the railing watching the two play their games. Then he noticed someone was missing, "Hey, anyone seen Kara?" he asked looking for signs of his sister.

"Ugh, no actually, not since we first got back," Raf told him pausing from their game.

"Knowing that trouble maker she's probably off pranking one of the Autobots," Ratchet mumbled to himself.

"Speaking of," Jack said noticing the distinct lack of Autobots in the area, "Where are the bots?" he asked.

"Optimus is in his quarters filing paper work, Void and Starscream have been sparring for roughly three hours, and Bulkhead and Bumblebee are on patrol," Ratchet answered.

"And Arcee?"

"She wouldn't say, just that it was a private matter of sorts," Ratchet replied casually with a wave of his servo.

Jack raised a brow but decided not to go any further in his questioning. Because at that moment Kara suddenly appeared landing next to her brother, an innocent look on her face, "What did you do?" he asked.

Kara grinned, "Why Kal, I have no idea what you could mean," she said in mock hurt.

Jack crossed his arms, "Really? Why do I have the feeling you have a prank set up somewhere?" he asked her, the suspicion obvious in his voice.

Kara put a finger to her lips, "Shh, you'll ruin it," she warned him.

At that moment the sound of footsteps walking down the hall could be heard and Kara dove behind the couch peaking out eagerly. Jack looked at her with a questioning look and she motioned for him to look towards the hall. Jack sighed and looked to see Void walking out of the hall.

There was the sound of a wire being tripped, the sound of a tipping bucket… and silence as everyone looked on in shock at Void. The femme stood there silently covered from head to toe in bright neon pink. Even her faceplate was coated in the stuff. Slowly, the femme wiped away the gunk from her optics and directed her gaze at the human living area.

Raf and Miko quietly got off the couch and Jack lifted it out of the way, exposing Kara to her guardians gaze. Kara immediately stood straight, rubbing the back of her head nervously, "Ugh… hi Void… how are you doing?" she asked nervously. Jack chuckled, she hadn't thought this plan through.

Void said nothing instead began walking around the platform towards her, leaving pink footsteps in her wake. Kara started to back up uneasily from her guardian, who still held the bucket of paint, which was easily as large as Jack, under her arm. With a swift movement, the femme plucked Kara off the platform, holding her by the back at optic level.

Voids optics looked from Kara to the bucket held under her arm. It had lost most of its paint, but there was still enough to soak an entire human… or Kryptonian. Kara came to this realization almost immediately and started struggling.

"Void please no! It was just a joke, I didn't mean any harm, please don't!" she begged frantically as everyone else laughed. Ratchet stifled a few chuckles at Kara's quick change in demeanor.

"Serves her right," he muttered.

A faint smile graced voids lips and in an instant, Kara found herself in the bucket covered in pink paint, spitting out some of the foul substance, "Not cool Void!" she yelled from in the bucket.

The femme then turned the bucket upside down and trapped Kara underneath it, "Now we're even," she said and walked off ignoring the screams of outrage coming from under the bucket.

The bucket was quickly overturned as Kara flipped it off her and wiped the pink paint off her face, "That was so mean!" she yelled in outrage.

"I don't know Kara, I'd say it was good payback for dropping a bucket on Void," Jack pointed out to her.

The young Kryptonian girl glared at her brother, "Doesn't matter, I'm going to get her back," Kara declared.

"Yeah but you might want to wash the paint off first," Miko said snickering the whole time.

Kara looked at her paint covered form and nodded, "Good idea, if you need me I'll be in the shower," she flew off with that said.

"She is definitely Dusk's counterpart," Jack muttered to himself.

"Ugh Jack?" Raf asked tugging at his shirt.

"Hmm?"

"Can you put the couch back down now?" Raf asked, pointing to the sofa he was still holding.

"Oh! Sorry about that," he said and placed it back down, rubbing his head in embarrassment.

"Eh, whatever," Miko said dismissively and started flipping through TV channels, their game having been ended abruptly by Kara's prank.

Raf suddenly grabbed Miko's arm, "Wait Miko, go back a channel!" he ordered.

Miko looked at him confused, "Why?" she asked.

"Just do it please," he replied.

With a sigh she flipped it back and everyone's jaw dropped at what they saw, "_A bank robbery was stopped today by the interruption of local town teen and alien, Jackson Darby," _the reporter said with a backdrop of the bank behind her.

The two looked at Jack in shock and he averted their gazes, instead focusing on the report, _"According to eye witness reports, the criminals numbered six and where all heavily armored and armed. Despite this, witnesses claim that the teen was 'immune to bullets' and 'fast as lightning' easily dispatching the six robbers, who are now locked away in the local sheriff's office,"_

"Dude that's awesome!" Miko exclaimed excitedly, causing Jack to blush slightly.

"I was just in the neighborhood when I saw those guys walk in. I decided to check it out and found it was a robbery," Jack replied his cheeks turning a faint red.

"Wait, you stopped a robbery?" Arcee asked as she walked into base.

"Ugh…" Jack started before Miko interrupted.

"Heck yeah he did, took'em out in seconds!" Miko told her.

Arcee turned to her boyfriend who rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I was… in the neighborhood," he explained to her.

Arcee smiled, "Well good job Jack, I'm proud of you," she said.

Jack looked up surprised, "You are!?" he asked shocked.

She nodded, "Yes it was a very noble thing of you to do that. I don't get why you're acting like it's a bad thing,"

"Because-" he was cut off as his phone went off. He pulled it out to see it was his mom calling, "That's why," he groaned.

He flipped the phone open, "Hi mom," he greeted.

_"JACKSON WILLIAM DARBY KAL-EL!" _she screamed over the phone. Jack winced, she used his entire name. This wasn't good.

_"What were you thinking, stopping a bank robbery! What if you got hurt!?" _she demanded.

Jack groaned, "Mom, what was I supposed to do, let them threaten innocent people!" he protested.

_"Let the police handle it, it's their jobs honey," _she replied more calmly.

"By the time the cops got their they would have drained the place and been gone. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing!" he started pacing as the two argued.

June let out a small sigh, "_I have to go for now Jack, but this conversation isn't over mister," _she warned.

"Of course it's not," he muttered under his breath.

_"What was that?" _

"Nothing!" Jack replied quickly, "I'll talk to you later mom, bye," he hung up shortly after and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"June scolded you?" Arcee asked.

Jack snorted, "What do you think?" he asked.

The femme nodded with understanding and smiled faintly. She leaned up towards Jack and whispered into his ear, "Meet me at the top of the mesa, I want to talk,"

Before Jack could ask any questions, the femme strolled off towards the bot elevator up. Rolling his eyes at the femme's mysteriousness, the teen took the elevator up to the top. Once the doors pinged open, he saw Arcee overlooking the landscape.

Jack walked over to her and placed a hand on her leg, causing her to look down at him, "You wanted to talk?" he asked.

She nodded, "Sorta," she said kneeling down till she was optic level with him.

Jack raised a brow, "What do you mean by sorta?"

Arcee sighed, "I've just been thinking lately Jack… we haven't really gone out on anymore dates since that trip to the theater," Arcee told him.

"Yeah, but we have had plenty of alone time since we got back," Jack countered.

Arcee smiled faintly at the memories, "And not that I haven't enjoyed it Jack, but I've just been thinking about it is all,"

Jacks face softened, "We'll, I suppose you have a point there Cee, but there aren't that many places we can go to together. You can't eat human food and well, we don't have time to go on a vacation with the cons," he pointed out to her.

A thoughtful expression crossed Arcee's faceplate before she snapped her servos, "What about that dance Sierra mentioned a week or two ago?" she asked.

Jack gulped and tugged nervously at his collar, "You sure about that Arcee? I mean it's kind of a step up from the theaters and well…" he tried searching for the right words to explain to her, "It's a black tie occasion," he finished.

Arcee tilted her head confused and Jack explained, "Basically means that the couples have to get dressed up in formal wear," he explained.

Arcee nodded as understanding dawned, "Ah its fine Jack, besides I think you'd look cute in a tux," she teased.

Jack blushed slightly, "Thanks but… Arcee… you'd have to wear a dress,"

The femme froze stock still the moment the words were out of his mouth. "Arcee?" he asked concerned. No response.

"Arcee!" he yelled and the femme blinked as she was shaken from her stupor.

"You alright?" he asked her.

She nodded and sat down holding a leg to her chest. She closed her optics and was silent for several seconds before, "I'll still go," she said softly.

Jack felt his jaw drop, "Y-y-you would?" he asked incredulously.

Arcee nodded, "If it means getting to spend some time with you away from base, then yes I'll even stomach the idea of wearing one of your human dresses for it," she admitted to him.

Jack steadied himself as he felt shock was over him. Arcee, the kick aft femme who could face down a thousand cons was willing to wear a dress… just to spend time with him. He wasn't sure what to feel, except two things. Incredible amounts of happiness and flattery.

"I … I guess it's a date then," Jack finally said.

Arcee smiled, "I guess it is,"

Jack sat next to the femme and the two watched over the landscape as the clouds passed over head. The sun was only just starting to set, but as usual, it painted a brilliant mosaic of colors over the sky. It was the most peace the two had really had together since Brainiac, and Jack wanted nothing to ruin it. Of course, the universe rarely succumbs to the wants and needs of a single inhabitant…

_The Nemesis…_

Brainiac watched through the optics of the seeker known as Starscream as he walked through the halls. His time in the Cybertronians head had yielded knew information to replace that which had been lost in the destruction of his ship. But now, he needed to move into another form, one less pathetic and with a higher standing.

Starscream's recent demotions had limited his data access and Brainiac had begun compiling a list of possible candidates to infiltrate. Knockouts medical knowledge could serve him well, but would put him in too much risk of being discovered. Airachnids mind was clearly too twisted to be of any use, and Breakdown was as dumb as a rock. That left Soundwave and Dreadwing.

The new SIC was in Megatron's good graces but lacked the systems he would inevitably need. Meaning that left one candidate… Soundwave. The TIC was strong dependable, and easily Megatron's favorite. His occupation of acting as a spy master would be perfect for Brainiac to gather all the data he needed before initiating the next phase of his plan.

Brainiac smiled faintly as he saw said TIC walking down the halls. All that was needed was physical contact, and Brainiac would be in. He shifted his main programming into the seekers motor controls and slowly seeped into them. He couldn't take downright control without alerting him, but he could influence it…

As the two were about to pass, Brainiac caused a small spasm in Starscream's leg, causing the seeker to stumble and bump into Soundwave. Neither con noticed the spark as Brainiac passed from Starscream into Soundwave.

The seeker brushed his shoulder off irritated, "Watch were you're going Soundwave," he growled.

The TIC glared at him silently and Starscream let out a nervous laugh, "What I meant was, apologies for running into you like that Soundwave, won't happen again," when the con said nothing, Starscream sidestepped away and scurried off.

"Excellent," Brainiac said to himself. "now with this Cybertronian under my control, I can initiate phase two,"

He immediately spread through Soundwave's consciousness seeping through every firewall, every nook, every cranny. The cons firewalls were impressive, but only a minor setback to Brainiac's presence. Within a matter of minutes he'd fully spread through the cons processor, laying over it like a dark storm cloud, waiting to strike.

He copied all the data in his mind, storing it for later, and spotted a terminal in the dimly lit hallway. Brainiac shifted control to motor functions and directed Soundwave to the terminal. To prevent the con from raising an alarm, Brainiac created feedback in his thought processes, convincing the con that he was moving their of his own accord.

Once Soundwave stopped in front of the terminal, Brainiac had him extend his tentacles and latched them onto the terminal. With a large amount of electricity, the AI transferred his increasingly large consciousness into the terminal. In a matter of seconds, three circles arranged in a triangular pattern appeared on screen.

"Brainiac download complete, commencing system take over," he stated to no one in particular.

The TIC looked up at the screen and immediately began battling against the foreign invader. Yet no matter how fast he erected firewalls, replaced coding, or deleted Brainiac's presence, the AI continued to spread through the ships systems. Soon enough, he gained control of the terminal defense systems, and electricity arched into Soundwave's body. The TIC shuddered violently before his screen went dead and he collapsed into a heap on the floor.

With him out of the way, Brainiac took full control of the ship in minutes. Once he was secured and made certain nothing could usurp his position, he made his next move. While this was going on though, Megatron was frantically trying to figure out what was happening to his systems as, one by one, the terminals shut off.

"What is going on here!?" he snarled angrily, "Where is Soundwave, why has he not destroyed this infestation!"

**"I am afraid that the Decepticon known as Soundwave is currently out of commission, Megatron," **Brainiac's monotone boomed over the speakers.

Megatron's optic's widened in recognition, "Brainiac, you survived!?" he demanded.

**"Your assumption is correct Megatron,"** Brainiac boomed, **"I have survived, thanks in part to the incompetence of your underlings. And now that I have a new ship under control, I shall assume my previous directive,"**

Megatron moved to activate the comm. aboard the ship when a shot stopped him. He looked to see several Vehicons firing at him, "Stand down you wretched pieces of scrap!" he screamed as they fired at him.

**"Your Vehicons no longer respond to your command. Even as we speak I am assuming control of all your forces. Once I have completely assumed control, I shall accomplish what you have failed at," **Brainiac declared.

The shots stopped and Megatron looked at the speaker, "And what, pray tell, is that!?"

The blue green face of Brainiac appeared on every screen aboard the ship, **"The destruction of the Autobots,"**

Megatron let out a full throated laugh, "And you plan to accomplish this when I have been unable to achieve the same results for eons!?" he demanded.

**"Yes," **was the AI's response, **"By using an element you seem to be unwilling to use," **a complex formula appeared on screen and the warlords optics widened, **"The Cybonic plague,"**

Megatron scowled, "A fine plan Brainiac, except that the Autobots already have a cure for it!" he yelled.

**"This contingency was already taken into account. It matters not, there is an estimated 87.98 percent chance that the modifications I have made to the formula will delay the Autobots long enough for the next phase of my plan to be set into motion,**"

Megatron scowled," The summoning of your master Unicron?" he guessed.

**"Negative," **Brainiac replied,** "the digitization of Cybertron, and more importantly… Vector Sigma,"**

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack and Arcee sat were busy talking over plans for the dance quietly on that coming Friday while everyone else was busy going through their own typical roles. Except Kara and Void who were both still trying to get the remains of the paint either out of their hair, or in Void's case, off her armor. A few chips still remained, but not enough to be too noticeable.

But as was per usual, a beep emanated from the console, "Optimus, it's the Decepticons again, attacking a military base," Ratchet reported. Fowler was temporarily out of commission, something about needing a vacation.

"Numbers?" Optimus asked.

"Unknown, not even sure what they're after here," Ratchet admitted.

"Ratchet open a bridge," Optimus ordered.

"We're coming too," Jack said as he and Kara ran to the edge of the platform.

The Prime simply nodded as the bridge opened and the two teens flew up next to Team Prime. The bridge suddenly spun up to life and they went through. To a site they weren't expecting…

**A/N: And so it begins. So glad to be back writing this, and I imagine you loyal followers are too. Reviews are appreciated, please let me know what you thought of the story in the review box. Or if not, PM me with questions and the like, I promise to answer. Bye!**


	21. Chapter 21

Ch 21: Sickness

_Military Outpost…_

The military outpost was in ruin, flames and debris covered the area. Hangars were collapsed in on themselves, with inky black clouds of smoke billowing out of the wreckage. Runways and vehicles were greedily consumed by tongues of scorching fire, the occupants having since disappeared. The entire sky was coated in smoky clouds, with a thin layer of ash coating the ground and buildings. Some floated through air like little grey snowflakes in a fiery snowstorm.

But all this was just background scenery as Team Prime looked in shock at their new enemies. They looked like Vehicons, but appeared distinctly different than the ones they knew from years of fighting. At first glance they appeared to be the same Vehicons, but closer inspection revealed subtle changes. Their clawed servos now had five digits instead of their original three they were known for.

Their armor was a lighter shade of purple than before as well, their silver chest plate seeming to have been expanded. They seemed to be… thicker as well, more muscled than before, if that was even possible for a Vehicon. Their visors curved up more at the ends, almost triangular in shape instead of a sweeping curve like before. But most troubling was the insignia on their chest plates. The standard con insignia had been replaced with three spheres arranged in a triangular position with interconnecting lines between them.

Jack had seen that symbol before, but he thought he'd never see it again. That was the insignia for Brainiac. Jack looked at these no cons with slight fear. He was confused, why was Brainiac's insignia on the cons? He'd been destroyed, there was no way that the cons would adopt the emblem. At least, he didn't think so.

"Any particular reason that the cons decided to adopt Brainy's fashion trends?" Bulkhead asked.

Arcee extended her blades, "Does it matter? They're still cons, and we have to take them down." she said. She lowered herself into a fighting stance, blades armed.

"Arcee and Bulkhead both make valid points," Optimus said, his battle mask slamming shut. He shifted his servo into a blaster and pointed at one of the Vehicons, who had yet to move.

"We must stop these Decepticons, but proceed with caution. We do not know what they are capable of," with that said, the Prime fired a shot in the cons direction. It passed by them harmlessly, and they didn't react either.

Jack and Kara looked to the rest of the team, "What do we do now? They aren't doing anything, so…. " Kara asked, looking at Optimus.

The Prime frowned and let the power in his blaster die down, but not un-shifting it, "Decepticons, what is your purpose here?" he asked them, his baritone voice echoing across the landscape.

The cons were silent and his frown deepened, "Bulkhead, Voidwalker, with me. We shall approach them cautiously," Optimus said.

Jack looked at Optimus confused, "Why not send Kara and I instead Optimus?" he asked him.

"We do not know what they are planning. For all we know Megatron may have discovered a new weapon to use against you, and I refuse to let you come to harm," Optimus told him. Jack sighed before nodding at the Prime, who returned it. Looking straight ahead, Optimus and the other two slowly walked towards the cons, weapons drawn.

Once they'd drawn close enough the trio encircled the eight cons waiting for a reaction of any kind. Bulkhead frowned as the Vehicons remained stock still, "Come on, blink vent do something!" he whined.

Void gave him an a disappointed look, "One would think that after eons of fighting, a wrecker might _appreciate _Decepticons who do not fight," she said as the three began to cautiously enhance their position.

"There's a difference between not fighting and this," Bulkhead said motioning to the still cons, "I feel like I'm being made fun of!" he complained.

Optimus ignored Bulkhead's whining and approached the cons cautiously, his blaster humming silently. With exaggerated care, Optimus twisted the con around to face him, blaster pointed inches from its faceplate. To everyone's utter shock, the con fell to pieces in his servo along with the rest of them. They hit the floor with a loud clatter, scattering everywhere.

"Okay, that was weird," Bulkhead said, looking at the remains.

"Why would Megatron send a bunch of mannequins to a destroyed military base?" Kara asked as the rest of Team Prime approached.

"Maybe to keep us off the trail of his real goal," Arcee guessed, her optics looking over the area.

Starscream frowned, "I doubt that, while I know little of this Megatron's personality, from what I have seen, he is not one to use this much cunning and trickiness," he stated, "He, like the one from my universe, seems to enjoy gloating over his foes. No matter how small the victory,"

"Then someone else has done this," Void stated kneeling by the parts.

While everyone else began debating and arguing over who exactly could have done this, Jack narrowed his eyes and watched the outer layers of the disassembled mach's fade away. He looked over the now skeletal parts for abnormalities and froze as he focused on the chest. He saw a vial of bluish purple liquid, connected to an explosive of some sort. The detonator was ticking down, with five seconds left.

"EVERYONE MOVE!" he yelled desperately, flying towards the first bot he saw, in this case Bee. Everyone looked at him surprised, but not before the bombs detonated.

The substance scattered everywhere, hitting every bot except Starscream, who had been standing behind Bulkhead a fair distance back. The bots stumbled back in surprise, followed by disgust at the substance coating them.

"Okay is this some kind of…" Arcee trailed off as she started acting dizzy, wavering slightly. The other bots followed suit, letting out weakened moans and groans as they stumbled back and forth.

Starscream started forward to help his comrades when Optimus shooed him away, "C-cyb-cybonic plague… stay away," he ordered weakly as he fell to his knees along with the others. Starscream took a step back but the worry in his optics was obvious

Such a look crossed Jack's face, "Wait, Cybonic plague!? We need to get you guys to base, Ratchet should have a cure!" he said and approached them.

"Too much… infected Energon… can't return to base… too much of a risk," Optimus said as a pained groan escaped his vocalizer, "faster acting… than before,"

Jack frowned and looked to Kara, who nodded in agreement. The two began scanning through the concrete and asphalt at the underlying pipes below. Quickly enough, Jack found what he was looking for and shoved his fists under the runway. With a loud grunt, he peeled a section of the runway away and tossed the crumbling rubble to the side with a loud crash.

He grabbed hold of some piping and heaved it up, bending it upwards. He moved to the side of it, and with one quick slice, his hand cleaved through the metal of the pipe with ease. A torrent of water suddenly gushed out and he redirected it at the bots, bathing them in it. With a slam of his fists, he bent the pipe inward, causing the torrent to be reduced to a thick sheet that covered them all in a layer of water.

In a matter of seconds the corrupted Energon was cleaned away and the bots forms glistened in the sunlight. But already the effects of the plague were becoming noticeable, as the area around their optics was taking on the appearance of aged and rusted metal. Jack put a hurried hand to his comm.

"Ratchet, we need a bridge now, the attack was a trap. Everyone but Starscream has been infected with Cybonic Plague!" he yelled.

Ratchet said nothing minus a few Cybertronian curses, and the bridge opened nearly instantly, "Optimus, is it safe for Starscream to help us out now?" Jack asked as he helped Bulkhead to his feet.

"F-for now," he told Jack and the seeker immediately helped Optimus and Bee to their feet while Kara helped Voidwalker up. Jack started to help Bulkhead through when he saw Arcee still on the ground and looked at her reluctantly. Everyone's hands were full, but he didn't want to just leave her there in pain.

"Go and get her Jack," Bulkhead said weakly, "I can… can handle myself,"

Jack looked at the wrecker and saw his optics flicker. He chuckled weakly, "Go, I'll be fine… I can walk through a bridge into Hatchet's med bay," he reassured.

Jack mouthed his thanks and carefully let the wrecker off. Once he was off, Bulkhead slowly walked forward limping to the bridge while Jack landed next to Arcee, who lay on the ground moaning in pain. She'd been hit with the highest dosage of the plague and was most affected by it.

He knelt next to his girlfriend and activated the mass shifter around her waist, watching her shrink down to his size. With her easier to carry, he put his arms under her and very carefully lifted her off the ground and floated to the bridge.

Arcee was venting weakly as he approached it, and Jacks face molded into one of sadness and concern, "Be strong Arcee, everything will be okay, I promise,"

* * *

_The Nemesis…_

"Everything is not okay!" Megatron snarled and slammed his fist onto a large crate. The metal bent under his blow and his assembled lieutenants backed away.

Currently the cons were all assembled in the hold of the Nemesis, the one place on the ship where Brainiac could not listen in on their conversations. It was a dark dimly lit area, with hundreds of crates of supplies lining it. A thin mist drifted through the area, and a dim light illuminated it in a sickly light. Overall the room had very little appeal to it.

But since Brainiac had told Megatron that he would not harm him or his troops if they did not interfere with his plans, it was their sanctuary from the AI. Megatron had begrudgingly accepted Brainiac's terms, but he was not one to be so easily controlled. Hence why he and his few remaining troops were in the hold.

Megatron scowled at the troops and stomped forward. Like leaves in the wind they scattered away from him as he continued to rant, "I refuse to allow Brainiac control of my ship and my forces! We must regain control!"

Dreadwing stepped up, the blue and yellow SIC not as fearful of Megatron as the others. He cleared his throat and his master looked to him, "Lord Megatron, while I understand your anger at Brainiac taking over our ship, wouldn't it be wise to allow him and the Autobots to destroy each other?"

Megatron looked at him blankly for several seconds before he let out a roar of rage and grabbed Dreadwing by the throat, slamming him against the wall with a en echoing clang, "You don't get it, do you Dreadwing? Even if Brainiac manages to defeat the Autobots, he will destroy what's left of our home! Do you want that!?" Dreadwing looked at his master with unsure optics.

Megatron scoffed and tossed him aside, "Besides," he said as he turned away and thought to himself, "No one gets the honor of exterminating Optimus Prime but me," he said softly.

The entire hold was quiet after Megatron's show of rage, no one dared to move. That is until Starscream stepped forward, his servo's behind his back, "Lord Megatron, if I may suggest, perhaps we should call the Autobots," the warlord whirled to face Starscream an angry look on his scarred faceplate, "and… ask for… assistance?" he finished with a squeak, his wings drooping as he backed away.

"Another alliance with the Autobots, in less than a handful of days since the last one!?" Megatron demanded angrily.

Starscream cowered before him, "Please master, it was only a suggestion, I was only looking out for your best interest and the interest of our home!" he shrieked in fear as he covered his faceplate.

Suddenly he straightened and a calm demeanor flowed out from his being, "Perhaps you have a point Starscream, neither we, nor the Autobots wish to see Cybertron destroyed. Another alliance may be necessary," he said calmly.

Starscream peaked out from his arms, "Wait… you're serious?" he asked suspiciously.

Megatron didn't respond, instead turning to the others, "Airachnid, you and Starscream are to head to the lower hangar bay, escape by any means necessary to contact the Autobots. Breakdown, Knockout, you two shall make your way to the ground bridge and attempt to do the same. Dreadwing, Soundwave, you shall be with me. We shall escape via the flight deck,"

Every looked amongst each other and Megatron let out a frustrated roar, "Why are you all still standing here!?" he demanded, "Go, fight, flee, destroy if you have to. I don't care how you do it, but somehow you must get off this ship!" he backhanded a crate and sent it crashing into the metal wall. Energon flew everywhere from the impact, but the con's paid it no mind.

They were too busy getting into their assigned groups and exiting the hold to accomplish their objectives. Megatron, his SIC, and TIC exited the hold and slowly stalked down the hall, trying to keep their motives hidden from the keen optic's of Brainiac. The AI was many things, but stupid was not one of them.

Megatron knew he'd eventually catch onto their plot, but any bit of time they could buy would be useful in accomplishing their goals. He had no doubts that most of his men would be captured. But only one needed to escape to bring Brainiac down.

Megatron froze and stuck his arm in front of Dreadwing and Soundwave. Once they stopped they could hear the sound of metal footsteps echoing down the halls. Before the three could move to hide, five Brainiac Vehicons turned the corner, their visors glaring at them. A tense silence passed between the groups.

One of the Brainiacon's broke the silence, "State your busi-" it was cut off as a violet blast of energy incinerated it's helm, and knocking it flat on its back.

The remaining four moved to attack, but proved to slow even with their improvements. Dreadwing's blade sliced through one from torso to waist and kicked, causing the two halves to tumble to the ground. Soundwave gripped one by the neck with a single servo and lifted it into the air. It struggled against his grip, a futile gesture at best. With a flick of his slender wrist, the con fell silent, and he tossed it's body to the side.

Megatron slammed a fist into one's head, causing it to twist to the side with a loud crack and fall on the ground with an echoing clang. His blade deployed from his servo, and Megatron cut in an upwards looping clash at the remaining con. It's head went flying off and bounced off the floor. It's body slowly fell back and crashed with a loud thud, Energon leaking from the stump of its neck.

Megatron retracted his blade and looked to the two, "We must make haste, Brainiac will be aware of our intention's now," Megatron said, and the three took off, their pedes echoing through the halls…

* * *

Breakdown and Knockout slowly eased their way around a corner and started sprinting down the corridor, "Once we get to the bridge it'll be smooth sailing from there my friend," Knockout said, more for his benefit than the one eyed con.

Breakdown smirked and shifted his servo into a hammer, "And in the meantime, we smash anyone dumb enough to get in our way," he said with twisted delight.

"I think you mean slash or smash," Knockout corrected, his own servo's shifting into buzz saw's.

"Tomato tomatoe," Breakdown replied as he looked around a corner.

Knockout gave him a confused look, "You're not the only one who pays attention to human culture," was Breakdown's explanation.

Knockout looked at his partner stunned as Breakdown gave the all clear and they turned another corner, "Just never expected you of all people to be scholarly Breakdown,"

Breakdown grunted, "You learn something new every day," he grumbled as they came to the terminal by the ground bridge.

Breakdown walked up to the terminal and placed his servo's on the key. Knockout let out a laugh, "And here I thought Brainiac was supposed to be smart," he said smugly.

**"That's because I am,"**

Knockout whirled to see the AI's bluish green face on the screen of the terminal Breakdown was on, **"And I fear that your little game, is over,"**

Knockout had seconds to react, to get his partner away from the terminal. He was still too late. Breakdown arched and screamed in agony as electricity coursed through his body, his vocalizer overloading and breaking with a singular crack. His remaining optic started to glow brighter and with a loud pop, shattered. The electrical attack ceased as soon as it had attacked and Breakdown fell on his back, his chassis fried, smoke rising from his charred corpse.

Knockout hurriedly knelt next to his partner checking for any sign of vitals, ignoring the smudges of ash and grime that painted his form. He desperately searched for a sign of the con's life.

Nothing.

The door to the bridge opened and 10 Brainiacon's marched in, speaking in unison, "You are to cease and dismiss immediately. Any violent action shall lead to your immediate capture,"

Knockout glared at the Brain con's and shifted his servo's into saw blades, "Capture this you pieces of scrap," he snarled.

He lunged at them, his mind engulfed in a single ever present thought… Revenge…

* * *

Airachnid and Starscream slowly crept down the halls to the hangar bay, to escape. The halls here were dimly lit for reasons that neither knew nor cared to discuss. They simply had to follow Megatron's orders and all would work out. As long as they weren't caught.

Of course, Starscream had no desire to see the Autobots again after their past meetings always left him in the med bay. Whether it was him getting torn apart by Arcee and Voidwalker, that irritating Kryptonian Kal-El using him as his personal punching bag, or most recently, his own inter-dimensional counterpart trying to cut him to ribbons with his sword. He knew that he would have the _least _amount of luck convincing the Autobots to help.

Of course, Airachnid's chances were equally bad as well. She had made a fierce enemy in Arcee by murdering her partner, and even though she held love for Jack, the boy clearly wasn't going to return those feelings. That wouldn't stop her from trying to get his favor, but odds were they would shoot the moment they shot her.

Airachnid came to a stop in spider form and held up a servo, motioning for Starscream to stop, "What? What is it?" he demanded irritably.

"Shh," Airachnid ordered, "Get down and stay silent," she shoved him behind an inward facing buttress, one of many that lined the halls of the ship. She scurried to the others side, her extra legs pressing her against the wall.

The sounds of pedes echoing against the floor could be heard as a patrol of eight Brainiacon's walked into the dimly lit intersection of corridors. The patrol broke into pairs, each pair scanning the halls, including the one they just walked in from. Neither con moved as they scanned over the area briefly.

"No signs of Decepticons. Move on," one of them ordered in a monotone similar to Brainiac's though much deeper.

The Brain bots merged back into their eight man group and proceeded to march down the hall, leaving the two alone. Starscream let out a sigh of relief once they were gone, and the two peeled themselves from the wall. Airachnid walked slowly into the intersection looking between each hallway.

"Which way?" she asked the former SIC.

He tapped a servo on his long chin before pointing down the hall to their left, "That way, fastest way to the hangar bay," he stated.

A blaster bolt whizzed by the two, and they saw a Brainiacon firing at them, "But not fast enough," it said in monotone.

Airachnid let out a hiss and sprayed webbing onto its blaster, jamming it. The B-con looked at its blaster, confused by its condition. It didn't have long to think before a missile detonated against its chest, offlining it.

Starscream smirked and lowered his arm, "We make a pretty good team, eh Airachnid?" he asked her smugly.

Her response was a servo upside his helm, the clang echoing through the halls, "You idiot!" she snarled, "Now you've given away our position with that missile! There's no way that Brainiac didn't hear that!"

Starscream rubbed the back of his head indignantly, "Calm down Airachnid, I doubt one little missile-"

"You two, stop!" Several Brainiacon's ordered and started firing at them.

The two dove behind cover and Airachnid shot him a dirty glare. Starscream let out a nervous laugh, "Whoops, my mistake," he admitted nervously.

Airachnid flinched as a blaster bolt skimmed by her helm, "How far are we from the hangar bay?" she yelled over the barrage of fire.

Starscream ducked down and looked at her, "Not too far… should be a straight shot down the corridor and to the left. Only problem is…" several more blasters joined the barrage assaulting them.

"One of us might be able to make a run for it if the other stays behind to by them time," Starscream continued over the din of blaster fire.

The two looked at each other from across their cover. Without a word, Airachnid shot a blast of webbing at his pede, securing him in place. The seeker let out a surprised yell and Airachnid took off running down the hall, "Goodbye Starscream, your sacrifice shall be remembered!" she called and turned down the hall, ignoring the former SIC's protests.

The doors opened before her, and she moved over to the terminal by the bay doors. With the press of a button, the two steel doors slowly slid open, exposing the ground far below as the ship quickly cut through the air. Airachnid looked from it to the door behind her, and could hear the sound of pedes on the floor. Letting out s sigh, she leapt out of the hangar bay door and fell to the ground below.

She felt the wind blow past her chassis, obscuring her sound as it rushed by, and in a single motion, transformed to her helicopter alt. mode. She shook and swung briefly before she managed to stabilize herself and took off away from the ship. As she flew away, she thought she heard the brief sounds of jet engines tailing her as she flew…

* * *

Megatron and his followers rushed through the halls, ignoring the blaster fire as they ran. Brainiac had caught onto their scheme quickly, and the three had been on the run trying to get to the flight deck ever since. Currently they had at least ten to fifteen of the Braincon's chasing them. Under ordinary circumstances, the three would have decimated such a group with frightening ease.

That said, the halls were too narrow for them to effectively fight off the small army. They did not have the room they needed to maneuver and so they ran. The three stopped at a terminal by a locked door, and Megatron snarled angrily.

"Soundwave, open that door, now!" he ordered, pointing to the terminal with a servo.

Dreadwing unfolded his cannon from his back, and Megatron aimed down the hall, his fusion cannon humming with power, "We will buy you all the time you need," he told him.

The TIC nodded and got to work on the terminal while Megatron and Dreadwing opened fire as the Brainiacon's turned the corner and charged them, their own blasters firing. Several fell to Megatron and Dreadwing's onslaught, leaving only six to engage them in hand to hand combat. Dreadwing slammed his cannon into the side of one cons head with a loud clang. He dropped it and unsheathed his sword from his back and slashed at another one attempting to tackle him, cleaving it in two.

Megatron grabbed one drone by its clawed servo and wrenched it sideways, cracking metal joints and causing sparks to fly from its elbow. The warlord unsheathed his own blade and slashed up at the drone, dismembering it from its arm. He kicked it back on the floor and aimed his cannon at it to finish it, when another one tackled him.

Megatron let out a surprised grunt as he was knocked back into a wall. His back collided with a loud clang as the drone attempted to hold him in place. Megatron let out an enraged yell and slammed his hand against it, knocking it away from himself. He grabbed the Brainiacon by the throat and lifted it into the air, applying pressure to its neck.

"Your drone's are no threat to us Brainiac, fight us yourself you coward, and we shall see who is truly superior!" Megatron yelled in challenge.

An eerie silence echoed through the halls, interrupted only by the drones attempt to pry itself free of Megatron's servo. The warlord continued to apply pressure, when Brainiac's voice echoed through the halls, **"Very well, assuming direct control,"** white light blazed from the drone in his hand, and Megatron was suddenly ripped away from the drone and slammed into a wall, Dreadwing as well.

The warlord shook his head to regain his coherency, and looked up at the drone in shock. It's visor was now white hot in color, a similar light emanating from its joints. It held itself with a rigid stiffness and it looked down at Megatron, **"We shall now determine who is truly superior," **Brainiac said through the drone.

Megatron growled and stood to his pedes, charging Brainiac's new form. The con sidestepped him with an unnatural speed, and kicked Megatron in the helm, knocking him on his back. Megatron moved to get up, only for a pede to slam itself on his neck. Brainiac stood over him with a blaster pointed at the silver con's faceplate, the blaster steadily glowing brighter as it charged with energy.

Megatron's optics widened and he tried to knock Brainiac off, but he seemed glued to the floor, **"This is the end, Megatron" **he proclaimed…. right as Dreadwing's blade sprouted from behind in an eruption of Energon.

Brainiac looked at the blade curious while Dreadwing said, "No, it is the end for you, Brainiac,"

The AI's response was to rotate its head a full 180 degrees to look at Dreadwing, whose optic's widened in shock, **"An incorrect assumption, now you shall be terminated as well,"** his visor started glowing white hot.

Realization hit, and Dreadwing started to pull his blade from the drones chest, but was too late. Brainiac fired on him with a blast of energy from the visor, knocking him off the blade and slamming him into Soundwave. The AI lifted its arms back and pulled the sword from its back, gripping it in a single servo. He looked down at Megatron.

**"I warned you that I would not allow you to escape Megatron. Consider yourself fortunate that I have more pressing matters to deal with,"** that said, an electric surge emanated from the drone and entered Megatron's system. The warlord let out a surprised scream of pain before his optics dimmed and he fell unconscious.

Brainiac did the same to the other two before turning his attention to the last one who had nearly escaped. Airachnid was flying off now, being tailed by a patrol of jet Brainiacon's. He inwardly smiled as he watched her attempt to escape the inevitable. He knew the cons would try to escape, to warn the Autobots. He had planned for it. And even if they did warn them, they wouldn't be able to stop him.

Not with problems of their own to worry about. And once Brainiac's new form was complete, not even Kal-El would be able to stop him…

* * *

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack paced back and forth on the platform as Ratchet worked frantically to treat team Prime. Since they'd arrived, the medic had been working furiously to figure out how bad their conditions were, and how much cure he'd need to synthesize to treat everyone. Kara was doing her best to help, but so far nothing had yet to come up.

"Jack, calm down," Raf said, "Ratchet has handled Cybonic plague before, the others will be fine," Jack stopped and looked from Raf to Ratchet as he worked over Optimus. Their conditions had only worsened since Jack, Kara and Starscream had brought them back, and Jack felt like it was his fault they were like that. He should have used his X-Ray vision sooner to figure out why the cons weren't moving. And now bots would probably die because of him.

He clenched the railing lightly and inwardly cursed his incompetence, right as Kara landed on the platform, wiping her hands on a rag. Jack looked at her with a worried expression, "As far as we can tell, this variation of Cybonic plague has been slightly modified. It moves faster and focuses more on secondary systems than the primary one. Ratchet is going to administer the cure once he's made enough, but that will only buy us enough time to make the proper modifications to fully eliminate the disease," she explained quickly.

"So Bulkhead and the other will they…" Miko trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. Jack and Raf looked at Kara with the same level of concern.

Kara shook her head, "No Miko, they won't offline. We will be able to save them as long as nothing goes wrong," she said with a soft smile.

Jack let out a sigh of relief at this news and felt a weight lift of his shoulders. It didn't last long though, as a sudden thought occurred to him, "Why would the cons use the Cybonic plague on us now? Megatron knows we have a cure, so why bother?" Jack asked.

"Megatron's twisted reasons are his own," Ratchet grumbled while he worked, "Besides it's not like we could call him and ask what he's planning to-" he was cut off as a beep on the terminal signaled an incoming message.

"Raf, can you check that?" he asked. The boy genius nodded and quickly opened the message up.

He readjusted his glasses and leaned in on the screen, "It's an anonymous message," he reported, and began to read it out to everyone, "I have information involving the Decepticons, bring a med kit," he read off.

Everyone looked around confused, minus those infected, and then to Ratchet, who had straightened up in surprise, "I can't leave now, too much work to do," he protested.

"Send me and Jack then," Kara said, "I'm the only one here with enough training to be able to repair anybot," she reasoned.

A reluctant look made itself clear on Ratchet's faceplate, before a soft groan from Optimus caught his attention. Everyone looked at the weakening Prime, "Send…Kara…need to know…Decepticon plans," he ordered weakly.

Ratchet closed his optics and let out a sigh, "Very well Optimus," he said and walked to the terminal inputting the coordinates of that came with the message. He pulled the switch and the ground bridge swirled to life. He assembled a med kit and handed the large kit to Kara, who easily gripped it in one hand.

"We'll be right back," she told them. Ratchet nodded before Jack and Kara flew through the portal together, to meet this mysterious messenger…

* * *

_Undisclosed Location…_

The two emerged into a small forested area looking for signs of the messenger. Tall trees extended high into the sky. Moss and leaves littered the ground around them, and the sound of birds chirping could be heard. But no sign of the messenger.

"See anything?" Jack asked as he scanned the area.

Kara shook her head, "No nothing," she replied.

"Oh Jack, how sweet of you to come," a voice echoed through the forest.

Jack scowled and whirled in the direction it came from, "Airachnid!" he hissed as the spider bot limped into view. She was in femme form, and seemed injured. Her left arm was held by her other arm, and Energon could be seen leaking out from her servos. She favored her right leg as she limped forward.

"Not. A step. Closer," he growled, glaring at her.

The femme chuckled and slowly sat on the ground, leaning against a tree, "Come now Jack, still holding grudges?" she asked.

Jack only glared at her and she sighed, "Fine, you're clearly not in a flirting mood. So I assume that Brainiac's plan has already been set in motion?" she asked.

"Brainiac!?" the siblings said in unison.

Airachnid smiled, baring her sharpened denta, "I'll take that as a yes. Apparently Brainiac managed to survive your little temper tantrum, and took control of the Nemesis. He's the one who infected your friends with Cybonic plague,"

Jack shook of his shock and resumed glaring at her, "Well thanks for the information, but we are already working on fixing them, once everyone's been cured we'll go after him ourselves,"

Airachnid chuckled, "Oh Jack, headstrong as usual. You won't be able to go after Brainiac, because Brainiac won't even be staying on Earth,"

"What do you mean?"

Airachnid smirked, "Fix me up and I'll tell you everything you want to know,"

Jack and Kara looked to each other and back to Airachnid. Jack let out a sigh, there was always a catch, wasn't there?

* * *

_Autobot HQ…_

"And he plans to absorb something called Vector Sigma," Jack finished explaining what they'd learned from Airachnid to the Autobots, or those who were conscious anyway.

Ratchet had a horrified expression on his face, "If Brainiac plans to absorb Vector Sigma… then Earth, and all other life in the galaxy, will be doomed,"

Everyone looked at Ratchet with shock, "Wait, what even is Vector Sigma?" Jack asked, confused by Ratchets sudden pessimism.

Ratchet looked at the assembled organics, "Vector Sigma is a near mythical super computer of Cybertronian origins said to contain the wisdoms of the Primes," Ratchet explained, "If Brainiac got a hold of that knowledge, he would be able to effortlessly defeat us,"

A hard expression wove itself onto Jack's face, "Then we go to Cybertron, find Vector Sigma first, and bring back the data here before Brainiac can get a hold of it," he stated plainly.

"Kal, you and I can't go to Cybertron, it has a red sun. Our powers will be drained if we do go there," Kara told him.

"Plus we don't have a space bridge," Raf said, "So we couldn't get there if we wanted,"

"Not true," Jack said and reached into his belt, searching for the item of his interest, "We might not have a space bridge, but we do have a group with FTL capabilities," he said as he searched.

"We do?" Miko asked, confused by how Jack was acting.

He nodded and pulled out a black and yellow cylinder shaped device with a white T labeled on the black side, "Yes, the Titans,"

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Anyway, sorry this took so long, I was busy all week and just never got around to finishing. Then, and get ready for this, I found out that the TFP movie Predacon Rising was leaked online! I'm serious, go check it out. Personally I loved every bit except the ending, but that's just me. Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, whether it was good, bad, or meh. I need to know! Also, PM me with questions or plot ideas, they do help. Bye!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Arms Race

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack closed the communicator and looked to Raf, "Open a bridge at these coordinates, they'll be through any minute," he said.

Raf nodded and listened as Jack told him the coordinates, inputting them into his laptop. With the press of a key, the bridge swirled to life. Several moments later, the Titans emerged from the bridge. Beastboy and Cyborg were arguing over something again while the rest were fairly silent as they emerged and the bridge closed.

Jack leapt down from the platform in front of the superhero teens, a faint smile on his face, "Robin, it's good to see you guys again," he said, shaking the boy wonders hand.

"Good to be back, but if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did you need our help with? Robin asked, before a knowing look appeared on his face, "It wouldn't have to do with that bank robbery you stopped earlier today, would it?"

Jack blinked back his shock, "How did you know about that?" he asked.

"Dude, it's all over the internet, a teen who shrugs off bullets and freezes criminals with his breath doesn't go unnoticed!" Beastboy explained.

Robin nodded at Beastboy's explanation, "Consider yourself lucky that I found the videos so quickly and tore them down. Even as we speak I have a program that is disabling anything concerning you or your secret identity. Next time though, stay in uniform,"

"Uniform?" Jack asked confused, before he made the connection. Robin meant his suit.

Jack nodded, "I'll keep that in mind, but that's not why I asked you over here, we need your help with a much bigger threat," he motioned for them to follow him up the platform to the terminal.

"About 30 minutes ago, a military outpost came under attack by the Decepticons. Of course we were sent to stop them," Jack turned to the Titans, "only to find out too late that it was a trap. The drones were booby trapped with vials of Cybonic plague, a weaponized virus designed to kill Cybertronians,"

"Whoa, are they gonna be alright?" Cyborg asked.

"They'll be fine," Kara said landing next to Jack, "And it's not our main problem,"

She turned and nodded to Jack who continued his explanation, "We recently just found out that the reason for this plan was that an old foe of ours, Brainiac an Artificial intelligence with a craving for knowledge, has taken over the Decepticon warship. He infected the bots in order to accomplish his ultimate goal,"

"And that is?" Raven asked from the depths of her blue cloak.

"He wants to head to Cybertron to absorb the data from Vector Sigma, a supercomputer with immense amount of knowledge. If he succeeds, Earth _will _fall," Jack explained.

"This is all said and good," Cyborg said walking forward slightly, "But what does this have to do with us?" he asked, looking at Jack.

Jack's head fell slightly, "Cybertron has a red sun, my powers will be drained quickly if I went there. Not to mention that we can't breathe in its atmosphere,"

"Add the fact that we don't have a way _too _Cybertron, and you see the problem," Miko finished.

"That's why we need your help," Jack said, "You have a starship while I have the key to Vector Sigma,"

Ratchet suddenly looked up from his work in shock, "You have what!?" he demanded.

Jack pulled the metal device out from his belt for all to see, "I was wondering why exactly Optimus had lied to me, telling me this was the key to the ground bridge power supply," he said.

"Jack, there is no key to the ground bridge power supply," Ratchet said.

The Kryptonian smiled, "I know, that's why I did a little research on what the key really was. I was going to talk to him about it soon, but well… that happened," he motioned to the prone forms of Team Prime.

He turned back to the Titans, "Point is, we know where the Decepticon space bridge is, and we need your help to get there. Once we get to Cybertron, we have to beat Brainiac and his forces to Vector Sigma, download the data, and transfer it somewhere else," he explained.

Everyone looked at Jack in shock once he finished, "What?" he asked, his cheeks turning slightly red from the attention.

"That's… quite a plan Jack," Miko said.

Kara nodded in agreement, "Most of your plans before just involved punching something till it broke,"

Jack rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, well… this is a situation where punching something won't work, not this time," he looked back at the Titans, "So, can you help us or not?" he asked

The teen's looked amongst each other briefly before looking back at Jack, "We can't all go Jack, ships not large enough," Robin told him and Jack nodded in understanding.

"But," he continued, "Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire can go with you. Beastboy, Kara, and I should stay here if something goes wrong. We'll be the last line of defense if you fail,"

"Makes sense, but if everything goes to plan, that won't become necessary," Jack said, before looking to Raf, "Open a bridge, we have an expedition to plan," Raf nodded and typed in several commands into his laptop, and the bridge swirled to life once more…

_Titan Tower…_

The doors slid open and Cyborg walked through, leading Jack and Kara though. He was showing them the T-Ship and the space suit designs ready for fabrication. Kara had tagged along to use her knowledge to help in any way she could on the launch and preparations.

The two slowly stopped and gaped at the ship. It had a design neither had ever seen before. It was shaped in a large stylized T with sweeping curves along the front and sides and painted orange and silver. Two large engines were on either end of the T, and one side was dotted with five black windows, signaling the location of the cockpits. A large fuel tank was attached to the other side, with blue boosters attached on either side of the tank.

It wasn't the largest ship that Jack had seen, in fact he was certain the one Kara arrived in had been just slightly bigger. But for human engineering, it was an impressive feat to say the least.

"So whatcha all think of the T-Ship?" Cyborg asked, a large grin on his face.

"Impressive, for a human ship," Kara said looking at it.

Cyborg frowned and his shoulders drooped, "Killjoy," he muttered before straightening up.

"Come on, suit fabricator is this way, Superboy," Cyborg said motioning for them to follow.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that!?" Jack demanded with exasperation.

"Well for one, you have a giant S on your chest," Cyborg started, ignoring Jack and Kara's glare, "And it just fits. You aren't an adult yet, and you do have quite a few powers. Just consider Superboy your alter ego whenever you put on the suit,"

Jack sighed and started to grumble to himself while Kara giggled at his reaction. He shot her a look, "You know that if I'm going to start going by Superboy, than that would make you Supergirl, right?" the giggling ceased.

"You wouldn't!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, bit late for that Kara," Jack said with a grin.

"If you two are finished," Cyborg said, interrupting the siblings banter, "We're here," he motioned to a terminal and several human sized cylinders. The rest of the room was relatively bare except for stairs leading up to each cylinder.

The two walked to the terminal, and looked to Cyborg, "So how does this work exactly?" Kara asked.

The robotic teen smiled, "Simple, you simply input the dimensions of your body ,weight ,mass, etc. Then once that's done, you add a little style to it, some extra gadgets, and bam! You have a space suit tailor made for you,"

Jack looked to his sister, "I'll leave the specs to you… math isn't really my thing," he said.

Kara smiled, "This is gonna be fun," she said and leaned over the terminal, her fingers flying over the keyboard at a speed that would have made Raf jealous.

While she worked, Cyborg looked to Jack, neither one sure exactly what to talk about. Eventually, Jack broke the silence," So… Slade still in prison?" he asked.

"Far as we know, yeah, he's still there, still recovering from the beating you gave him," Cyborg answered.

Jack winced, "I think I might have gone too far when I did that," he admitted.

Cyborg smirked, "Man, you whooped his butt, I've never seen someone take Slade on so easily,"

Jack smiled nervously at the praise, "Thanks, but truth is, I wasn't even using a tenth of my full power to take him on," he admitted.

Cyborg's eyes widened in surprise, "Get out! For real?" he asked in shock.

Jack nodded, "I've never used my full strength before except when fighting cons. I don't use it on humans because, well… They're too delicate," he said.

Cyborg seemed troubled by this revelation, and rubbed his for arm, "So when you were forced to fight us…"

"I was holding back the whole time. If I'd wanted, I probably could have taken you all down in seconds. But I always hold back, it's how I've had to live my life so far, and I don't think it's going to change," Jack crossed his arms and leaned against a wall.

"I…wow, sorry about that man," Cyborg said.

He shrugged, "Not your fault, just how my biology works," Jack looked over at Kara.

"How goes it?" he asked.

She looked up and grinned, pressing a button. A low hiss emanated from the lead capsule, revealing the suit for Jack to wear. Kara walked up to it and with waved her hand over it.

"Presenting, the Superboy space suit 1.0!" she declared.

Jack rolled his eyes as the smoke cleared, "You and your theatrics," he said.

She dropped her arms, and placed them on her hips, "Just come look at your stupid space suit," she ordered.

Jack grinned and walked forward to examine the suit. It seemed fairly large, about as big as Cyborg, just slightly thinner in the arms and legs. It's biceps, forearms, thighs, and midsection were all a silver color, while the rest was white colored armor. It had a large bulbous helmet with what appeared to be several lights lining the inside. Two were placed on either side of the chest, and one on top of the helmet.

Jack turned to Kara, "Not bad," he praised.

The girl grinned, "There's just one last finishing touch," she said. Jack raised a brow and she pulled out a rolled up sheet of paper and a can of spray paint he'd missed. She stepped in front of the suit, obscuring his view as she sprayed something on the chest.

Once she finished, she blew a blast of gust breath on it and stepped aside, taking the paper with her. Emblazoned in bright red, was the crest of the House of El, "Now it's finished," Kara said with a smiled…

_Later…_

Jack slowly moved and flexed his arm inside the armored carapace of his new suit. He had to admit, he liked the suit, though its large bulky size would make it less useful than his standard suit in combat. He looked to Kara, who was running systems diagnostics and gave her the thumbs up.

She smiled and activated a comm. "Kal, can you hear me?" she asked.

"Loud and clear," he responded.

"Good, now that we know your comm. works, we can activate your heads up display and explain the rest of the functions," she said, her fingers dancing across the keyboard.

"Ready when you are," he said, rolling his shoulders.

There was a beep and a low humming sound as his HUD slowly came online. The entire room was suddenly outlined in white and several status bars came online. He looked over each one, and two in particular caught his attention.

Kara noticed and explained them, "Those two bars represent the power level of your suit, and your own power level. Once the latter drops below 50% you'll start to grow weaker and become dependent on your suit," she explained.

Jack nodded, "So what can it do?" he asked as he slowly stepped off the platform.

"The helmet's glass can retract with a thought and is tough enough to handle the standard beatings you go through. The lights inside your helmet are actually lights designed to imitate the yellow rays of the sun. They are a onetime use that will last for about 10 or 20 minutes before burning out. Use them wisely," she warned.

"Anything else I should know?" he asked her.

"The boots are designed with thrusters to allow you to fly without expending your energy, and the suit will enhance your strength once you've fallen below your limits. You have enough oxygen to last about four to five hours, and the energy for the rest of the suit is double as long," she pressed a button on the terminal and the doors behind her opened.

"I'd like to run through everything, but we're running out of time, the Nemesis is heading for the Space bridge, you guys need to go," Kara said.

Jack walked towards the door, his footsteps thudding heavily as he did. As he was about to leave, he stopped and turned to Kara, "If we fail Kara, don't hold back. Do whatever it takes to defeat Brainiac… and keep the others safe," he ordered.

His sister smiled sadly and nodded, "Of course Kal," she said and looked to the exit, "I do need to go though, Ratchet will need my help with that cure," she looked to her brother, "Please be careful,"

Jack smiled, "Kara, it's me remember?" he joked and walked off to the T-Ship where Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire where waiting.

Kara smiled sadly, "That's why I'm worried,"

_T-Ship…_

Jack approached the Titans who were waiting at the platform next to the T-Ship. They each wore their own space suit designed to fit their own style. Cyborg wore a simple helmet that would allow him to breath in space but leave his form unaffected. Raven was dressed in a full body. black, skin tight suit. She wore a small helmet that seemed connected to her hood, though he doubted it. Starfire, oddly enough, was not dressed in a space suit.

"My people can survive in the vastness of space without the need of space suits," She explained to him.

Jack nodded in understanding and looked to the others, "You all ready to go?" he asked.

"Course we are!" Cyborg said and jumped into an open cockpit at the very front of the ship from his standing position. Starfire let out a small giggle and flew into her spot located in the upper right half of the ship.

Jack looked to Raven, "You look… nice in that suit," she said quietly and flew off before Jack could respond, landing in the cockpit opposite of Starfires. Jack shook his head and flew up to his own cockpit located behind Cyborg. He landed in the seat and noted the various controls and buttons coating the inside of the interior.

"Don't worry, we normally just let Cyborg pilot, the controls are only in case of emergency," Raven told him over the comm.

Jack nodded as Cyborg spoke up, "Y'all ready for this?" he asked.

"Ready," the three responded in sync.

"Then hold onto your seats, cause this is gonna get bumpy!"

_Autobot HQ…_

Kara watched Ratchet as he worked on his final patients, Void and Optimus. Everyone else at base had been cured, now he just needed to fabricate enough serum for the last of the two. Kara frowned at how easy it was to solve this crisis. Granted that it had delayed them and the bots wouldn't be at full fighting strength for many hours, but still.

Either Brainiac had simply miscalculated, or truly believed that absorbing Vector Sigma's knowledge would make him unbeatable. Either way, when he got back, he'll be in for quite a shock. Ratchet stopped his work and looked at Kara.

"Check on the others Kara, inform me of their condition," he ordered.

"No problem Ratchet," she said and floated to the bots. Their berths had since been moved away from the remaining infected as they slowly awoke from stasis. Arcee, having been the first to receive the cure due to her smaller size, was just starting to wake.

She let out a pained moan as she sat up on her berth, rubbing her helm. Kara landed next to her and placed a hand on her leg, "How you feeling 'Cee?" she asked.

"Like utter scrap, but at least I'm alive," she looked down at Kara, "Thank you,"

The young teen smiled, "Thank Ratchet, he made the cure, I just helped," she said.

Arcee nodded, "I'll keep that in mind," she looked up and around, confused, "Were is Jack?" she asked.

"I was about to ask the same thing," June said as she exited her car.

Kara gulped as the two femmes looked at her, "Ugh…well…you see,"

_T-Ship…_

Jack grit his teeth as they exited the final part of Earth's atmosphere and the shaking stopped. There was a hitch and he looked to see the fuel tank falling back to Earth. He let out a grateful sigh and looked back to the starry sky.

"Glad that's over," he muttered, before focusing on the task at hand, "Cyborg, I'm sending you those coordinates now," he said and input them into the terminal.

"Got em, making course corrections now," Cyborg responded. There was a sudden shift and a gentle thrum vibrated through the ship. Jack looked up at the starry night and watched as they moved.

"ETA, 5 minutes," Cyborg reported.

Jack put his arms behind his head, "So until then we just kick back and re-" a beep sounded on the terminal and Jack straightened up.

"We got an incoming transmission coming from Earth," Cyborg said, "Patching it through now,"

There was a low buzz at first, and then, "_JACKSON WILLIAM DARBY KAL-EL!" _the voice of June scolded loudly over the comm. causing Jack to jump in his seat.

"Mom!?" he asked incredulously, ignoring the laughs from the Titans, "How did you get this channel?" he asked.

_"Not important! What on Earth were you thinking? Going to Cybertron without even telling us! Arcee is worried sick!" _she sounded furious.

"Mom, I've handled far worse than this, you don't need to worry!" he argued.

_"Don't need to worry!?" _Jack winced and heard the snickers from the others, _"Kara told me that Cybertron has a red sun, your powers will be useless there! What if you get hurt? What if I lose you!?" _she demanded.

"Mom, I have to do this, no one else can," Jack responded, "When Optimus gave me the key to Vector Sigma, it read my genetic code and will only respond to my touch," he explained.

There was silence over the comm. for several moments. Finally, June responded, _"I know Jack it's just… every time you go out and fight I'm worried something will go wrong, your powers will fail, something. And now that I know it's assured…"_

"Mom, I've handled far worse than this, it's a quick snatch and grab then home. I promise I'll stay safe, maybe even bring a souvenir," Jack promised over the comm.

_"Just…just stay safe Jack, don't take any more risks than you have to,"_ June ordered.

Jack smiled, "I won't mom," a radar warning sounded, "I have to go," he said quickly as the reading came through, "We're at the space bridge,"

_"Goodbye Jack, be safe,"_ June said, sounding on the verge of tears.

Jack smiled sadly, "I will mom," he promised and the comm. cut off.

"Quiet the momma's boy aren't ya?" Cyborg said with a laugh.

"Oh shutup Cyborg," Jack replied.

"Well you two cut it out," Raven ordered and Jack saw her point ahead of them, "We're here,"

The space bridge floated out from behind the moon, large and imposing as ever. The T-Ship orbited the planetoid and slowly made its way to the inert structure. It was massive, easily almost a mile in diameter, and appeared to be carved from solid rock in a circular shape. It's edges were ragged and uneven, typical of Decepticon design.

"Alright, there's the bridge," Cyborg said, "But how do we activate it?"

"We may not have to," Starfire said, "Look!"

Everyone turned in time to see the massive sharp edges of the Nemesis pass over head, "Cyborg, please tell me they can't detect us," Jack said worriedly.

"I activated our cloaking the moment we saw the bridge, if Brainiac knew we were here he'd have done something about it," Cyborg replied confidently.

"Then all we have to do is wait for Brainiac to open the bridge," Raven said.

At that exact moment, the space bridge suddenly burst to life, swirling with bright green energy. It looked similar to the ground bridge, except larger and more intense than it. The Nemesis rocketed away from them towards the bridge.

"That looks like our cue," Jack said as the ship took off.

"Hold onto your teeth folks, this is gonna be a blast!" Cyborg informed them. Jack had no time to say or do anything, as he was suddenly thrust back into his seat as the T-Ship took off at a speed even he couldn't reach.

They quickly caught up to, and passed the Nemesis, which was moving at quiet a leisurely pace compared to them. If Brainiac had seen them, he did nothing about it. The four entered the space bridge with ease, emerging on the other side. Jack blinked for a moment as the stars suddenly shifted perspective, no longer in the same area.

Then a piece of debris floated by, followed by several more pieces, "Ladies and gentleman," Cyborg said, "Welcome to Cybertron,"

_Autobot HQ…_

Void opened her optics as she felt the pain of the Cybonic plague finally exit her systems fully. She immediately tried to sit up, only for a servo to gently push her back down, "Ep, ep, ep," Ratchet warned, "I still need to scan _all _your vitals femme," the medic stated.

"I am fine doctor," Void said, brushing his servo away and sitting up, "But thank you for treating me," she said.

Ratchet smiled slightly, "Anytime… Celestial,"

Void froze as she got up, looking to Ratchet who had a smug grin on his faceplate, "I don't know who you're talking about," she said.

Ratchet rolled his optics, "Puh-lease Celestial, I took care of you for eons, I practically raised you, given the amount of times you visited me during your training," he stated.

Void sighed and clenched her optics, "How long have you known?" she asked him.

"I've had suspicions since day one, but you only confirmed it after you caught my wrench and called me the Hatchet. You were the first to work up the bearings to call me that," he explained.

Void weakly stood up and gave Ratchet a serious look, "Celestial Prime died when Cybertron died Ratchet, only the Void remains," she said.

Ratchet looked to Optimus Prime, "Does Optimus know?" he asked.

She nodded, "He does…and so does Megatron… regardless know one else must know. I ask you as a friend Ratchet, do not tell the others, Kara especially,"

Ratchet looked at the pleading look on the femmes faceplate and let out a frustrated sigh, "I never could say no to those pleading optics of yours. Fine, your secret is safe with me… Voidwalker,"

A small smiled formed on her lips, "Thank you Ratchet," she said.

He raised a servo, "But only if you and Optimus have a serious discussion about your… relationship," he ordered, "You both deserve a bit of happiness in your lives,"

Void closed her optics and nodded, "Good," he said, "Now let's get back to scanning those vitals,"

The femme nodded reluctantly and lay back down as Ratchet scanned her. Neither noticed the small Kryptonian teen who was hidden behind the corner leading into the bay. Kara inched away from it and flew off, hiding in the rafters. She lay against the wall and buried her head into her arms, lost in thought.

Void… Celestial, had lied to her about who she was. She was her partner, her ally, and she didn't even tell Kara her real name! The girl scowled and clenched her fist before taking a deep breath and exhaling. She wouldn't make a big deal of this for now. Not until her brother was back and Brainiac defeated. But afterwards, she and Miss Celestial Prime were going to have a nice long chat…

_Cybertron…_

There was a hitch as the T-Ship finally landed in a destroyed building on Cybertron. According to Cyborg, it was large enough for them to fit in, and provide visual cover. If the ship was found and destroyed by Brainiac, they'd be trapped here on Cybertron. So it was best to keep it hidden.

"Helmets on?" Cyborg asked.

Jack pressed a switch around his neck, and the glass visor slammed shut with a low hiss. The HUD came online and showed everything was good to go, "All clear here," Jack replied.

"Same," Raven said.

"I do not require one," Starfire said.

"Alright then," Cyborg said, "Popping the hatches in 3…2…1…" a hiss emanated as the four cockpits opened in sync, releasing their atmospheres onto Cybertron.

The four pulled themselves out of the ship and examined the building in full. A good chunk of the roof had been caved in, and mounds of rubble littered the sides of the circular building. It was all made of the same ruined steel though, glinting harshly in the red light.

Cyborg hooped down from the ship and landed with a thud. He froze as a the floor cracked slightly, echoing through the abandoned building. He looked at the floor and back at the team, "Stay off the floor, it's structurally unstable. Something crashed here, buildings on its last legs," he warned.

The others nodded and floated off the ship. Raven created a platform of black energy beneath Cyborg and lifted him up, "Get on," she ordered, "Save your energy for now,"

Jack and Starfire nodded, landing on the platform as Raven took them out of the building. Jack's eyes widened in horror at the site of Cybertron before him. The skyline was littered with cities of death and destruction, their hollowed corpses still giving off inky black clouds that polluted the red grey sky. Jack blinked and shook his head as he felt a slight wave of weakness wave over him, and collapsed to one knee.

Cyborg and Starfire were at his side in an instant helping him up, "Hey man, you gonna be alright?"

Jack smiled and nodded, "Just adjusting is all," he said. He didn't tell them that once he stepped in the rays of the sun, his powers had practically dropped to zero in seconds. The suit was the only thing keeping him super.

He ignored the warning for now, and pulled the key out of the compartments in his suit. There was no point in focusing on that now. If they moved fast enough, it wouldn't even be a major problem.

"According to legend, the key will lead the user to Vector Sigma," Jack said and began slowly waving it from the right to the left.

As it went to the left, it suddenly began to glow bright blue and vibrate wildly. Jack pointed in the direction the key was vibrating, "That way, stay low though, no telling if Brainiac can detect us or not," he warned.

Raven nodded and the platform moved off in the direction he pointed, skimming across the ground. Dust and small pieces of debris were kicked up, but besides that they were fine. It wasn't long before the group arrived at a large arena like structure… with a statue of Megatron standing over the doors leading in. His servo was stretched out to the stars as if grasping for something.

"Who's the statue of the egomaniac?" Cyborg asked.

Jack gave him a word one answer "Megatron," he said simply.

Cyborg looked at the statue and his eyes widened, "Oh…of course," he said sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Starfire, if you would?" Jack asked motioning to the door, "Powers aren't holding up well,"

The tamarainian nodded and pushed against the door with her shoulder. There was a low screech at first, and with one heave, the door swung open large enough for the four to fit through. Once they were through, Jack saw that they were really in a large coliseum area.

Cyborg saddled up next to Jack as they looked around at the large arena, "So how low are your powers?" he asked.

Jack looked at him, "Truthfully, they were gone the moment we left the building," he said.

"So that means-"

"If we run into trouble, I'm next to useless," Jack finished.

Cyborg smiled, "I wouldn't say that, just out of commission. Besides, we've handled bad guys before we met you, a few cons ain't gonna stop us,"

Jack returned his smile, "Thanks Cyborg,"

"Don't mention it man," he looked around the arena, "So where exactly is this super computer?" he asked.

Jack held the key up, "That's a good question, it's not reacting any-" he was cut off as the entire started to shake.

"Earthquake!?" Cyborg asked.

"More like Cyber-Quake," Raven said as she and Starfire lifted off the ground.

The ground continued to shake, and suddenly a section of it cracked and broke away as a large pentagon shaped structure erupted from the ground. Debris and dust rained all around, obscuring their view for a moment. And just as quickly as it started, the shaking ceased. The dust cleared away, and the group looked in astonishment at the large structure sticking out of the ground.

Jack approached it, and waved the key in front of two intricately carved doors. The doors suddenly flashed blue at the presence of the key. A low groaning echoed from the structure as the two doors opened up, revealing a dark passageway into unknown depths. Jack looked to the others.

"Anyone up for some spelunking?" he quipped.

**"I am,"** a monotone voice responded.

Everyone whirled to see Brainiac, the real Brainiac, floating in before them with two clones behind him, **"Kal-El, it is good to see you again. Thank you so much for leading me to Vector Sigma. Once I have its knowledge, I will make sure to terminate you quickly,"** he said.

The other three crowded in front of Jack, "Go," Cyborg ordered, "We'll hold him off, just go!"

Jack looked to the clones and at the Titans before nodding and running down the hall. He'd get in the way, and all that mattered was getting the data. The doors began closing behind him, and Jack looked back briefly to see the Titan's engage Brainiac and his forces. He clenched his eyes as he ran, no point in getting distracted now, he had a job to do.

Eventually his run slowed as he walked through the massive hallway, and the lights on his space suit flickered on. The halls were illuminated with an eerie glow, and the echoing effect of his breathing didn't help. He shook himself of the sudden onset of claustrophobia, and pressed onwards.

Eventually he made his way into a large chamber. And it was massive. The chamber he'd walked into was massive, larger than anything he had ever seen before. Several other bridges lead into a central platform supported by four massive beams holding it up. Intricate glyphs coated them, still fresh and new due to the lack of exposure to the elements. Jack peaked over the side and saw it was a long way down. Even if his flight capabilities weren't out, falling didn't seem like a particularly enjoyable option.

He continued to walk towards the center, looking for a place to put the key, when he stumbled forward. He looked down and his eyes widened as he saw a large indent in the ground, similar in shape to the key in his hands. He looked to the glowing device and set it in the indent. He stepped back as it started to glow brighter, and unfolded into its original size, filling the space.

He stepped back as the platform lifted upwards, the key now standing like a monolith before him. Several lights began to glow along the key's intricate form, and more began pulsing into the key itself. Jack smiled as the download began, and waited….and waited…. and waited.

He let out a frustrated sigh as he looked at his suits internal clock. He'd been standing there for a good 20 minutes. He sighed again, this was to be expected, it was the wisdom of the Primes he was downloading, so it was bound to take some time.

**"So this is the great Vector Sigma?" **Jack whirled to see Brainiac standing in the hall entrance, unharmed.

"How'd you get past the Titans?" he demanded.

**"I never did, my three clones are fighting them as we speak. This is my true body, and now that I am here, and without your powers, all that knowledge is mine,"** he proclaimed, and stalked forwards, his steps echoing against the metal floor.

Jack struck a fighting position, "You think I'd come all the way to Cybertron undefended?" he asked as Brainiac approached.

**"No, I had anticipated that you would be defended. I also anticipated the possibility of you having your powers," **he continued to stalk forward, **"That said, I have enhanced this body to allow it to face you at full strength,"**

Jack took a hesitant step back from the AI before reaffirming his stance. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting about the lights in his suit and he smirked at Brainiac, "You want to fight at full power huh?" he asked, "Then let's fight at full power,"

He activated the lights in his suit, and the visor was brightly illuminated for a brief moment before it died down again. Jack smirked again as he saw the power bar reach 100%. He looked at Brainiac and charged at him.

The Android met him head on, raising his arms to slam them down on Jack. Instead, Jack slid underneath him and popped up behind him, wrapping his arms around Brainiac in a bear hug. He applied pressure and the androids body began to spark and groan in protest. It still remained firm though, and Brainiac's head swiveled to glare at Jack.

**"You will not stop me so easily, Son of Krypton," **he stated his eyes glowing white hot with energy.

"I don't think so," Jack said and released him as he stepped back. He slammed his fist up into Brainiac's face and sent the android flying off the edge of the bridge. He slammed into a distant wall, his chassis cracking in several places before he fell off into the darkness below.

Jack smiled as he watched him fall, dusting his hands off, "Have a nice trip Brainiac, be sure to send a postcard!" he turned to the key as it finished downloading, shrinking down to its original size.

Jack knelt down and picked it up in his hand. Something about the light seemed… different than before. He shrugged, he didn't have time to think about it. Instead, he looked to the hall and flew off, his friends needed help.

He quickly made his way out of the hallway and floated in the air in time to see the last Brainiac clone get crushed by a piece of debris engulfed in dark energy, "So I missed the party?" he asked as he touched down.

"Guess so," Cyborg said as he approached, "But I think you had your own party too if your powers are back,"

Jack nodded, "The clones were a distraction, the real Brainiac came after me while you were fighting him. I sent him down a big hole though, and if we head out now we'll be fine," he said.

The three nodded and Raven formed a black platform underneath Cyborg while Starfire and Jack lifted into the air. With a slight gust, the four took off heading back to the T-Ship. Had they stayed a minute longer, they'd have seen the purple and silver figure emerge from the hall, limping slightly as sparks shot out from its gashed side.

Brainiac looked in the direction of the four and took off after them. He had relinquished control of the Nemesis to Megatron, leaving a small bug somewhere aboard if his plan failed. But for now, acquiring that key was all that mattered to him. He would pry it from Kal-El's cold, dead, hands, or die trying…

_T-Ship landing Zone…_

Jack curse as his lights burned out. Kara had warned him they had a short life expectancy, but he didn't expect it to be that short. Almost immediately, he started wobbling as they approached the structure, his flying becoming more erratic as they drew closer.

Raven and Cyborg flew up next to him, "You alright?" Raven asked.

He shook his head, "No, lights cut out, my powers are failing faaaaast!" he screamed the last bit as he plummeted towards the building, hearing his comrades call out his name he fell.

He saw that he was going to land inside the building, then remembered that Cyborg said that the structure was unstable. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he covered his face as he landed inside the building, crashing through the floor into the a dimly lit room below it. managed to right himself as the next floor approached him, and hit hard.

He collapsed to his knees with a gasp of pain and hit face first. He skid forwards slightly before coming to a stop as he bumped into a large structure of some kind. Moaning, the boy turned on his back, ignoring the mild pain that his landing had caused. He didn't have much time before Brainiac found them, so lying there wasn't a great option.

Ignoring the protest of his body, he slowly stood to his feet and looked around the area. As far as he could tell, it was a carbon copy of the room above. Until he turned around and felt his jaw drop. Laying amongst the rubble before him… was a Kryptonian ship!

"Jack you alright!?" Everyone asked as they landed behind him.

"I'm fine," he responded without turning around, "but… this is a Kryptonian ship!" he said with amazement and looked back at them.

"We need to check this out, five minutes is all I ask for!" he begged.

They looked to Cyborg, who looked around confused, "Did I miss something?" he asked.

"You're kinda the one in charge now, you know how to fly the ship," Raven pointed out.

"Me!?" he squeaked rather comically, pointing to himself, "But this was Jack's mission,"

"Was," Jack said, "Not anymore, now that I got the key, command is yours. So, do we have time to explore it?" he asked.

Cyborg sighed, "Yeah sure, go ahead, just be quick about it," he said gesturing to the ship with his hand.

The happiness on Jack's face was obvious, and he rushed off into the ship, fast as he could with his powers gone. He managed to find the entrance located in the side of the vessel and walked in, only for the door to seal shut behind him. He was about to start calling for help when suddenly the air started to hiss and he realized that he was in an airlock. If the airlock was still working… then this ship must have been fairly young.

The doors in front of him hissed open, and Jack walked in. The first thing he noticed, was that the ship was small, much like Kara's though it lacked multiple rooms. It was a single large room, with a captains chair at one end, and a large screen at the other. Between them was a series of large capsules, test tubes and various other instruments, including several cage like devices.

He frowned as he walked into the lab, and heard the clinking of shattered glass beneath his boots. Jack knelt on the ground and examined the shards of glass. His gaze followed the glass to the right, where a large alcove had been shattered. It had once been used to hold something, but what he didn't know.

Jack's head shot up as heard a scurrying sound, "Hello?" he called out.

"Is someone there?"

No answer. He disabled his visor letting it open, and stood up, "My name is Kal-El, son of Jor-El, and I'm a Kryptonian too," he said. Still nothing.

He looked around and noticed a pedestal in the middle of the ship, and approached it. He heard the scurrying noise again, but ignored it. In the pedestal was a Kryptonian key, the symbol warn away, unreadable. He gripped the key and pulled it out, handling it delicately. He looked it over briefly, before sliding it into a pouch next to the key. It was then that he heard the sound again, directly behind him.

He turned around to face it, and raised a brow as he saw nothing. Then he felt something push against his leg and looked down. His gaze widened in shock at what he saw before him.

It looked like… a dog, a husky to be more specific. If Jack was right, it couldn't be more than a few weeks old. It's entire body was covered in pure white snow, and the puppy looked up at him with bright blue eyes, letting out a happy yip as Jack looked at it confused. He knelt down in front of the dog and it wagged its tail happily.

"Hey there little guy," Jack said gently, "What are you doing on a Kryptonian ship on Cybertron?" he asked.

Of course, the dog gave no answer, instead deciding to gnaw on his foot playfully. Jack let out a laugh at its antics, "Hey stop that little guy, my foot's not a squeaky toy," to his surprise, the puppy stopped and backed off slightly, rolling on its back and looking up at Jack.

He carefully extended a hand, and rubbed the dog's ribs, causing it to let out another happy yip. It squirmed as he continued to pet it, and its tail thumped against the ground happily. Jack tilted his head to the side, "Well I can't just leave you here, can I?" he asked the dog.

The puppy rolled right side up, and sat on its haunches, barely coming up to Jacks thigh as it looked at him curiously, "Guess that's a no," Jack said with a smile and activated the comm.

"Cyborg, can the T-Ship handle another passenger?" he asked.

_"Why, did you find another Kryptonian?" _he replied.

"Not quite, but can you send Raven in, I need her help with this," he said and ended the comm.

He looked back at the puppy, who had resumed his attack on his boot, "Stop that," Jack ordered gently, and the pup stopped reluctantly, his tail staying still.

"Good boy," Jack said, and patted it's head, and it's tail started wagging again.

He heard the door open and looked to see Raven come in, "What did you need help with-" she stop at the sight of the pure white puppy.

She let out a groan and placed a hand to her head, "Fantastic, a dog," she deadpanned.

"Don't like animals?" he asked her, still petting the puppy.

"They don't like me," she replied and looked at Jack, "So I guess you wanted me to create a field so it can breath until we get it to the ship?" she asked.

Jack nodded, "Can't just leave him here, and don't worry, I'll keep him with me,"

"Right," Raven said with suspicion and got to work…

_T-Ship, exiting the Space Bridge…_

The little white dog nuzzled into Jack's arm and quickly fell asleep as the T-Ship exited the space bridge that Brainiac had left open. Seems that after they had gotten the data, escaping the Nemesis had been easy enough. Honestly, Jack was confused by the AI's lack of action, but wasn't going to complain about it. He just wanted to be back on Earth and out of this suit.

"ETA to Earth, five minutes," Cyborg reported, and a gently hum vibrated through the ship as they accelerated forwards.

Jack stroked the dog while they flew, feeling relaxed at how well the situation was going for them. Suddenly, a loud shudder echoed through the ship, causing Jack to sit up straight, the dog too.

"Anyone else feel that?" he asked over the comm.

"Something is gripped onto us," Cyborg said, "Sensors have no idea what it is thou- HOLY CRAP!" he screamed and Jack saw why.

Brainiac pulled himself onto the front of the ship, his body in less than stellar shape. His midsection was torn slightly, revealing the inner circuits, which occasionally sparked with energy as the android moved. His whole body was covered in scrapes and cuts, his head having a series of cracks running up and down his head.

He turned his head to look at the group, one of his optics nearly shattered and slammed his fist on the front of the ship, "Cyborg," Jack commed, "Gun it,"

Cyborg didn't verbally respond, but Jack knew he heard him, as the engines suddenly started to whirr loudly. The ship rocketed forward, causing Brainiac to stumble and fall forward, bouncing against the hull as the ship shot through space. He managed to grab hold of the metal and hold on with one arm as Earth rapidly approached, but the AI was unable to do much else.

"Hang on everybody!" Cyborg warned, "We're gonna land hard in Nevada!"

The nose of the ship started to flare up red as they entered the atmosphere, and a large burning cone formed around them. The ship started to rock violently, and the dog let out a whimper and nuzzled closer to Jack, who placed a protective hand on the puppy. The ship broke through the cloud cover, and the ground seemed to be shooting up at them.

Jack placed another arm over the dog as they shot to the ground, clenching his eyes, "Brace for impact!" Cyborg yelled. There was a loud crash, the sound of shrieking metal as the ship tore into the ground, leaving furious gashes in the ground.

It's rear lifted high into the air as it skid through the air, causing dirt and debris to fly forwards. Eventually though, the ship began to slow as friction worked against it. There was a low groaning sound as the ship finally came to a stop, settling down with a low groan.

Starfire and Raven's cockpit windows were blasted off as the two girls got out, moaning in pain, "Raven, you are… unharmed?" Starfire asked.

She nodded, "What about the others? What about Jack?" Raven asked.

Cyborg's fist erupted from the glass and the teen broke through with a yell, looking at the two. Jack did the same minus the roar, cradling the puppy gently, "We're fine," Cyborg said and hopped down, looking at the wrecked T-Ship.

"Aw man, look what happened to my baby!" he cried, "This is going to take weeks to repair!"

"Sorry Cyborg," Jack said, leaping down and letting the dog out of his arms, "But it was either this, or let Brainiac tear the ship apart,"

**"A-an opt-option that I-I am still considering,"** Brainiac said, pushing several sheets of rubble out of the way. Most of his face was sheared away or melted now, and his left arm was nearly gone, fluids leaking from the tear in his bicep. Despite this, he still remained functional.

Jack whirled to face the AI, only for a blast of white energy to engulf him, **"This time Kal-El, you have no one to save you," **he casually blasted the Titans away with his other arm, while focusing his left arm on Jack.

Jack fell to his knees as the energy tore his space suit apart and covered his body in pain. He looked up at Brainiac and started to step forward, when something unexpected happened. The little white puppy let out a snarl and leapt at Brainiac, or more specifically his arm, and tore it off between his teeth.

The Android stumbled as it lost its arm and stared at the stump stupidly for several seconds. The dog dropped his arm, which was comically oversized in his jaws, and jumped at him again. This time, Brainiac backhanded him with his remaining arm, and turned to face Jack. Only to find him face to face with the Kryptonian, who's space suit was left in scraps over his Kryptonian suit.

"Don't hurt my dog," he ordered, and slammed his fist through the AI's chest, lifting him off the ground, "Oh and Brainiac, have a nice flight," he flung Brainiac off his arm into the air, watching him fall towards him. With a single punch, his fist connected with Brainiac's face, and the Android exploded, his body disintegrating from the force of the blow.

Bit's of pieces scattered across the ground, and the light in the circuitry died. Jack smiled, Brainiac, the herald of Unicron, had been defeated for now. He knew that the AI probably had a backup somewhere, but for now he was in pieces. And that was good enough for him.

"Jack!" a voice cried and he turned to see the Autobots standing outside a ground bridge, Arcee chief among them.

He smiled and looked down at the puppy, who looked back up at him, tilting his head to the side. He looked back at the bots, "Boy have I got a story for you,"

**A/N: So that ends the Brainiac saga for now, what did you guys think, hmm? Did you like, dislike? Oh and what about the intro of Krypto? Who here, that I didn't tell, saw him coming? One more thing, some may have noticed that I changed the name of this story from New Threats to Another Type of Alien, Book Two: Assuming the Mantle. There's a reason for that, that you will see as the story progresses. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, PM me with questions or ideas. Bye!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Dance

_The Nemesis…_

Megatron and his lieutenant stood around Breakdown's blackened corpse, "What a shame," Megatron said, "To lose a warrior to such a parasite," his words were laced with bitterness. After the Nemesis had passed through the Space Bridge, Brainiac had converted several Vehicons into his old form and abandoned the ship, disabling it long enough for him to supposedly get a hold of Vector Sigma.

Apparently, Brainiac had failed, as they regained control of their systems and had returned to Earth, orbiting over head as they said their goodbyes to a warrior killed in the most humiliating of ways. Megatron had lost much respect for Breakdown over the past few months, but even so, he knew the soldier was a loyal fighter. Losing him had struck a blow to the Decepticon cause that would not be easily filled.

Couple that with Airachnid's disappearance, and Megatron knew that the Decepticon's needed to receive an advantage of some kind, soon, "Good bye Breakdown," Knockout said, a mournful look on his faceplate, "You may not have been the smartest con, or the best looking one, but you were still my partner. I'm going to miss you watching my back," he stepped away from the body.

"Anyone else?" Megatron asked. No one moved.

The warlord bowed his head, "Farewell then Breakdown, may you be one with the Allspark," he pressed a button on the terminal, and a hiss echoed from the wall in front of the body. It slowly split open, revealing the empty blackness of space. Air rushed out, and the cons braced themselves as Breakdown's chassis was sucked out into space.

With a press of a button, the door closed once again, "Now that that is over," Megatron started, "Resume your tasks, we have much work to do," the con's nodded and filed out of the room.

Megatron placed a servo on Knockout's shoulder, "I want you to work on new weapons constructed of the Dark Energon we retrieved from Brainiac's ship immediately," he ordered the medic.

He bowed, "As you wish Lord Megatron," and walked out of the room.

Megatron smirked, after Brainiac's initial attack on Earth, Megatron had reviewed all the battle footage, particularly that which concerned the Kryptonian siblings. To his surprise, he saw that they were affected by Dark Energon in even greater amounts than Cybertronians. It was an advantage that, had Brainiac not hijacked his ship, he would have seized immediately. As it was, he had to make up for lost time.

The Autobots invincible allies, would once again know pain…

_Space…_

The supposedly empty corpse of Breakdown drifted harmlessly through space, a small speck in the infinite black. It gave no signs of life, no signs of movement as it drifted slowly through space. Given time, it might have been dragged off by a passing asteroid or comment, or maybe drifted into orbit of one of the massive spheres that inhabited the solar system.

If, that is, the body was uninhabited. But, it was not, in fact the body had a dangerous host, one that should have been dead, but had thought ahead. Slowly, arches of electricity sparked around the body, causing it to twitch ever so slightly. The electricity increased in ferocity, flowing over the body until the optic flickered on and the body jerked with sudden movement.

The optic was glowing pure white and slowly looked around, "Space," the bot said, "An interesting location to awaken in, but no matter," it slowly rotated itself and looked to the glowing blue orb that was Earth.

"Given time, my bio mechanical processes will make the necessary changes to allow this form to return to Earth, and even the Son of Krypton shall fall to Brainiac," he clenched his servo and curled into a ball, his optic shutting closed.

A low humming emanated from the body as the changes began to take hold. It was a process of several weeks before the changes would be complete. But Brainiac was a patient being, and while the changes took place, he would wait… and plan for his eventual, return…

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack walked slowly through the ground bridge, holding the puppy securely. He'd have been back sooner, but he promised the Titans he'd help them get their ship, or what was left of it, back to their Tower. To say that Cyborg was devastated by the condition of the ship would have been an understatement, even though Raven claimed he'd have it fully rebuilt in a matter of days.

He quickly spotted his mother, sister, Miko, Raft and Ratchet.

"Jack!" June said as she moved to give her son a hug, her face a mixture of relief and suppressed ire, no doubt from him sneaking off to Cybertron. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like that-"

"Dude! What's with the dog?!" Miko exclaimed, June and Kara paused, as they finally noticed the animal in Jack's arms, who was looking at them, panting, his little tail wagging happily.

June stared at the puppy, it couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 weeks old, oh primus! He was gorgeous! The most adorable little ball of fur she'd ever seen, she briefly remembered that Jack had always wanted a pet when he was younger, and June had wanted to get him one, but she and Robert had been afraid that, with his emerging powers behaving erratically and at random times, that he would unintentionally injure or kill any pets they had.

"Jack. What is this?" she said, folding her arms, she barely noticed Raf and Miko who had joined her just as the rest of Team Prime came through the Bridge, followed by three teens that she assumed were the rest of the Titans, and she'd thought the green-skinned boy was odd enough.

"Yeah Jack, where did you find him?" Arcee asked, leaning over to get a good look at the animal. It was cute.

"I found him on Cybertron. I couldn't just leave him there."

"Cybertron?" Raf asked, turning to the bots, "There were Dogs on Cybertron?"

"No. At least, not the kind you're thinking of. The closest thing we had to domestic Earth Canines were Cyber-Foxes, similar in shape and design, but bigger than humans. They went extinct during the war, like a lot of Cybertronian wildlife, the only species that seemed to survive, if not thrive, were Scraplets." Void replied, noticing Bulkhead, Bee and Ratchet all shuddering at the mention of their only natural predator.

"I found him in a crashed Kryptonian ship, similar in size to Kara's, but it only had one lab, one command chair, and what looked like several cages and a stasis pod, that was broken, and considering he's in fairly good shape, he can't have been out of the pod for more than a few minutes until I found him," he then turned and regarded his sister.

"And you didn't tell me Krypton had dogs,"

"You never asked." Kara replied with a smirk as she walked up to him and started petting the puppy, who cautiously sniffed her hand.

"Arf! Arf!"

And he promptly began licking her fingers, she giggled and scratched under his chin., "I never thought I'd see this breed though," she said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked her.

She shrugged, "He's a Kryptonian war hound, used to fight wars in a… darker time, in our planet's past. I thought they all died out in the wild, and only a few people kept them as pets," she explained.

"Why is that?" June asked, a worried look on her face.

Kara smiled nervously "The dogs imprint on the first Kryptonian they see, and remain incredibly loyal to their masters. Even after death, they were known to crowd around and protect their masters grave, attacking anyone who got near them,"

Jack looked down at the white dog in his hands, who looked up and barked at him happily. Even with those big puppy eyes, there was a fierceness hidden in them, a protective urge that he'd never seen in any other animal. It was both comforting… and a little scary.

"So, how big is he gonna get?" Beast Boy asked, moving closer to get a better look at the apparently alien dog, it looked so much like an earth dog it was scary. The dog looked at him and sniffed, a confused look crossing his face, and sniffed again, only to look more confused.

Kara tapped a finger to her lips, "Not entirely sure, but if I had to guess, waist high on an adult, to as tall as Jack,"

"WHAT!?" June shrieked, her face going white.

"Such cases were rare!" Kara quickly amended, trying to stave off the woman's panic. Then she looked back at the pup.

"Besides, odds are it'll be a few months maybe even a year before he gets that big," she added, and June calmed slightly.

"So if he's from Krypton, does that mean he can do the same things you can?" Miko asked, June swallowed, she was dreading the answer. A dog with Jack's powers? The house wouldn't last a week. The furniture probably wouldn't last a day. But she just couldn't think of putting that animal up for adoption, she'd always been a dog person.

"Well, he's already demonstrated enhanced strength. He ripped off one of Brainiac's arms." Jack said as he looked down at the dog with pride written all over his face.

_"Terrific..."_ June thought.

"So there's every possibility he'll be able to fly, shoot lasers from his eyes, run faster than a bullet, be able to see through walls, have super hearing, and have a nose thousands of times better than a shark's?" Miko asked.

"Probably, though in terms of his sense of smell, hearing, sight and speed, it'll most likely be proportionate to his size, like, he might not be as strong as me and Kara, because he's smaller-"

"For now." June cut in.

"But, his sense of smell, and sense of hearing, and his speed, at least on the ground, will probably be better than ours, yes." Jack replied.

"And if what we saw was any indication, he'll probably have the equivocal bite power of a T-Rex." Raven noted. "So when he's fully grown, he'll probably be able to chew right through a Cybertronians limb with a single bite, if not rip them off with incredible ease."

The humans blinked.

"Dude, that's one seriously tough pooch."

"Alright, so we can't give him away, and I have a feeling you'll never forgive me if I try, so...You can keep him Jack." June said, the reluctance blatantly obvious in her voice. The puppy was adorable, but knowing he'd grow so big was… scary.

"Thanks." Jack said with a smile.

"But!" June said, raising her finger and giving him the Serious Face. Jack paused, the puppy cocked it's head.

"You feed him. You walk him. You clean up after him. And may God help you if he eats the furniture." noticing the dog giving her a wide-eyed, slightly frightened look, she mellowed immediately, only smirking slightly at the snickers of the other teens in the room, as well as several of the bots.

"And may Primus help the both of you if he eats any of my tools!" Ratchet scoffed.

She wobbled on her feet as the base calmed down, only to be caught by Kara. "I need to sit down..." she lamented. Her adopted daughter helped her back up to the platform while everyone else crowded around Jack, and more specifically, the puppy.

"So whatcha gonna call 'im?" Bulk asked curiously.

Kara landed back down next to Jack, "Actually, before you do that, did you find any command keys in that ship? We might be able to find out what the ship was doing near Cybertron if you did,"

Jack nodded and tossed the worn key to her with one hand, "Yeah it's pretty warn though, not sure it'll work," he told her.

She smirked, "We need to get you in the learning chamber soon little brother, your lack of knowledge on our tech is scary,"

Everyone looked at her confused, "I'll explain later," she said cryptically, and looked to Ratchet, "Open a bridge to the ship please, we need to find out more about this little guy," she said.

The medic nodded and activated the bridge, the pup letting out a happy bark as the bridge swirled to life, "Be back in a few minutes, let me know what names you come up with," she called and flew through, the portal sealing shut behind her.

"So, spill man, whatcha gonna call him?" Cyborg asked, looking at the little dog.

Jack shrugged and looked down at the dog, "How about… Krypto," he suggested, only for everyone to immediately laugh.

"What?" he demanded indignantly.

"Dude, that's like naming an Earth dog Eartho," Miko said with a snicker.

The dog on the other hand, let out a happy bark at the suggested name, and Jack looked down at him, "You like that name?"

The dog let out another happy bark and almost seemed to nod, "Well, Krypto it is then," Jack said with a smile.

Arcee rolled her optics, "You have a natural gift for names Jack," she teased.

He smiled at her as he put the newly named Krypto down on the floor, the dog having gotten restless in his arms. He took a few tentative steps forwards, sniffing at the ground as he did. He suddenly got whiff of a scent he must have liked, and started trailing it across the ground, his puffy tail wagging excitedly as he did.

He was so caught up in the trail, that bumped into Arcee's pede and fell on his rump, looking up at the femme with a cocked head before he began sniffing at her pede. Arcee looked at everyone else with a helpless look as the dog sniffed at her, "Apparently you have an interesting scent Cee," Jack said with a laugh.

Arcee put her servo's on her hips, "That supposed to mean something Jack?"

"No, no!" he quickly amended.

There were laughs all around as the boy turned a faint shade of red, "Not that this isn't fun," Robin said, interrupting the laughs, "But we should be heading back to Titan's Tower, we've been gone long enough,"

Jack nodded, "Thanks for the assist guys. We'll keep in touch?"

Robin smiled, "You can bet on it,"

Ratchet activated the bridge, and just like that, the Titans were gone. Right as they left, Kara's comm. signaled over the terminal, "Ratchet, I need a bridge, what I found out was… interesting,"

Once the bridge was opened, Kara quickly flew through and landed in front of the much smaller group of humans and aliens. Krypto ran up to her excitedly, letting out a few happy barks as the girl knelt down to pet him. While she did that, Jack approached her.

"What did you find out?" he asked, worried she may have found something wrong with his new dog.

Kara looked up from Krypto, "Oh right, " she said and stood up, smoothing her clothes.

"Turns out the little dog here is a genetic experiment to rebuild the war hound population. Hence the white coat," she explained, "The ship barely escaped Krypton, automated by AI were it worked on its mission for years until it crashed on Cybertron. It created him with the last of its energy, and sent out a distress beacon as well as leaving some food for him until then,"

Jack scratched his head and looked down at Krypto, who was currently looking at everyone, his pink tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, "So is there anything we should know about him, given how he was born?"

Kara nodded, "Yeah, turns out that part of the project was working on increasing the maturity rate of the war hounds,"

"Meaning?" Miko asked.

"That instead of a full year to reach full size Kal, he could be full size in a few weeks or months at best," Kara replied.

Everyone looked down at the small puppy who returned their looks with a cocked head, "Well…. that's not good," Bulkhead said.

Kara shook her head, "As long as we keep him fed he'll be fine, but he'll have growing pains and such, so don't be worried if he starts acting as if in pain," Kara told Jack.

"I'll keep that in mind," Jack said, stroking the little dog's head.

"Oh by the way, what did you name him?" Kara asked, the topic of Krypto's existence being covered.

"Krypto,"

"Cool, common name on Krypton," Kara said, and everyone looked at her shocked.

"Seriously?" Miko asked.

Kara nodded, "Of course, it has a nice ring to it,"

Everyone let out a laugh at this, Krypto barking happily the whole time. Jack smiled, seems that for now, everything was going his way…

_The Next Day, Darby Residence…_

Jack fidgeted in the tux as he adjusted the tie in the mirror. He'd been at this for a good hour, trying to get the suit in perfect order. It wasn't his, it was his adopted fathers, and even though he had insisted he find something else, June had insisted harder that Robert would have wanted him to wear it to his first dance.

Jack sighed as he looked at himself to the mirror, and looked to Krypto, who lay on his bed scratching at the new black and red collar Kara had made for him out of Kryptonian fabric. The family crest hung below it, acting as almost a shield for the dog on his chest.

"So what do you think Krypto, do I look good enough?" he asked. Krypto looked at him briefly before he resumed scratching at the collar.

Jack's shoulders sagged, "Yeah, I think I look pretty ridiculous too," he said, ignoring the fact that he was talking to a dog.

"Oh you look fine Jack," June said from the doorway, "Your tie is just a little crooked," she approached her son and began readjusting his tie.

Jack just sighed in defeat and let her work, his mind drifting to the dance that had technically started, "So, remind me," June said, "Why are you and Arcee showing up two hours late to the dance?" she asked.

Jack chuckled, "Because Arcee wanted as few people as possible to see her in a dress,"

June smiled and tugged on the tie as she finished, stepping back to admire her work, "Look at you, my little baby going to his first Prom," she said and covered her mouth as a few tears started to form.

"Mom, you're not going to start crying now, are you?" Jack groaned.

June thumped him on the chest, "I have a right to cry Jack, you've changed so much in the past few months, and I don't just mean maturing," she said.

Jack looked down at his form and had to admit that his mom had a point. Jack had grown thicker and more muscled since meeting the bots, a result of training and fighting incredible odds. Even before he met the bots, he'd always been muscled, but now the closest description to describe his body now, was a very lanky Greek god.

Jack shook his head and smiled at her, "I'm still me though mom, still the same kid you've always taken care of,"

A faint smile graced her lips, "That's sweet Jack, but I haven't had to take care of you for a long time now. I only just realized that when you went to Cybertron that you're part of a new world, one where I can't follow. Doesn't mean I won't be supporting you every step of the way, regardless of the trouble,"

Jack hugged her, "Thanks mom, and I will try to think these things through more, I don't need to give you too much of a heart attack," he pulled away and smiled.

"You should probably get going now though," June told him and motioned him towards the door, "I hear you have a hot date tonight, you don't want to keep her waiting,"

"Mom!" Jack shouted mortified, and the woman let out a small chuckle.

"Have fun tonight Jack, and remember-,"

"I know, I know, be home by 11," Jack interrupted.

June smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "That's my boy," she said.

Jack returned the smiled and walked out the front door, only to feel a head butting against his lower leg. He turned and looked down to see Krypto staring up at him, head cocked as he wagged his tail excitedly.

"Sorry boy," Jack said, "I'm afraid this is a one man show, you have to stay home and guard mom, okay?" he asked jokingly.

Krypto's ears drooped and he almost seemed to nod, before padding off and curling up in the living room area. Jack made sure he stayed put, and walked out the door into the crisp night air. He could hear the sound of the music from the school with his hearing, and decided that tonight was a good night for flying.

He shot off into the air, slowly flying to the school, the wind blowing over his form as he felt a sudden lump form in his throat. He had to wonder, how would the students react to him and Arcee showing up, seeing her in a dress? Would they leave them alone, or pester him like they did during school at all hours of the day.

He shook his head, whatever their reactions, he had to ignore them, for Arcee's sake. There was no telling how the femme would react to being forced into a dress, and even Jack had no idea what she was going to wear. Far as he knew, Kara and June had taken Arcee's measurements and shopped for her, the femme not wanting to go to the mall again.

So of course, Jack had no idea what to expect as he landed at the back of the school by the gym. He straightened the tux as he landed and checked the watch he wore. 9 o'clock, long enough for a few dances and then they could be gone. Perfect.

"Jack, you look nice," a voice said, and he turned with a smile expecting to see Arcee.

His face fell as he saw Sierra standing there in a purple strapless dress, her hair still in that standard pony tail, "Oh, it's you," he said and looked back out to the parking lot.

He didn't notice the frown on her face as she walked down the steps. She placed a hand on his shoulder and walked around to face him, "You out here all by yourself?" she asked innocently.

Jack scowled and gently removed her hand from his shoulder, "Sierra, we've been over this. I'm dating Arcee,"

The girl pouted, before her face brightened up, "But she's not here yet, is she? Did she decide to stand you up, her work to important?"

"I'd imagine that it would, protecting Earth from an alien army trumps Prom," Jack replied in deadpan.

She quirked her lips and ran a finger up his tux, "But you deserve someone who has time for you, someone who will always be there," she leaned up on her toes getting closer to his face.

Jack raised a brow and stepped away, "What's your deal Sierra?" he asked her, "A few months ago you wouldn't even look twice at me, now you can't seem to get enough of me,"

"I didn't realize what I was missing at the time," she replied.

Jack narrowed his eyes before a smile formed on his face, "That so?" he asked.

"Of course, and getting you away from the Autobot seems to be the only way to get you to see reason," Sierra put her hands on her hips, confused at Jack's smile.

He pointed behind her, and Sierra turned, only for her jaw to drop. Arcee stood there, arms crossed and glaring at Sierra, her silvery hair and form glinting in the moonlight. Arcee wore a simple blue dress that extended from her chest down to just above her ankles. It had two straps tied around the base of her neck, and a pink sash tied around her waist.

On a normal human it would have seemed almost plain in appearance, but highlighting Arcee's silver protoform, it looked beautiful. Of course it would if the femme didn't have an angry look on her faceplate, her servos on her hips as she glared at Sierra.

"Any particular reason you keep trying to steal my boyfriend from me?" she demanded.

Sierra took a step back, "I-I-I," she stuttered.

Arcee smirked, "That's what I thought," and brushed past the girl to Jack, kissing him lightly on the cheek, "Sorry I'm late, lost track of time polishing my protoform," she explained.

Jack just smiled and held his arm out to her, which she slid her own through, "It's fine, better late than never," he said, and the two walked into the doors, leaving a very confused Sierra out in the cold night air, her jaw hanging in shock.

Jack looked at Arcee as they walked into the gym, "You look beautiful tonight," he complemented.

The femme smiled as they came to a stop next to a convenience table littered with various snacks. The gym was just starting to empty as a few couples left to go who knows where. The dance floor was still littered with kids dancing to some form of music that caused Jack to wince as its low booms and high pitched electric squeals echoed through the gym. Balloons and streamers covered the ceiling, and several banners were hung up celebrating the dance.

Arcee looked to Jack, "So exactly what do you do at these dances… besides the obvious I mean,"

Suddenly the music was replaced by a slow song and Jack looked to Arcee, "We do what the name says," he said with a smile and stepped out of her arm, extending a hand to her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, grinning.

Arcee placed her servo in his hand, "Of course Jack," she said, and the two walked out onto the dance floor, ignoring the few odd looks from other dancers.

The two stood close together, and gently began dancing to the music as it played on, "Where did you learn to dance?" Arcee asked him as the two swayed to the song.

"Internet," he replied in deadpan.

Arcee smiled as they danced, and rested her head on his shoulder. This was one night, she didn't want to end…

_Autobot HQ…_

Kara stormed through the base looking for Void, or should she say Celestial. She had waited for a good chance to confront her guardian about lying to her, and tonight seemed like a good night. Most of the bots were out, and Jack and Arcee were at the dance, meaning that only Void, Ratchet, and Optimus were in base at the moment.

She turned the corner to see Void standing there, talking to Optimus, "I told you Optimus, I'm not the same femme you fell in love with," she said to him, her optics avoiding his.

Optimus looked unconvinced, "I have said before that I do not believe you. Your physical form maybe heavily scarred, but I sense that you are still the same femme I fell for at the beginning of the war. All I ask is that you give us one more chance," he pleaded. Kara was shocked, she'd never heard Optimus talk like that to anyone, and decided to step back, letting the two talk.

"Optimus," Void started, "Even if we did get together, my form is to damaged for anything to come of our love,"

Optimus raised a brow, "You forgot to say former," he pointed out.

"What?"

"Our former love, that is what you meant, right?" the Prime asked.

Void looked at him shocked that he caught such a small detail, "I… slip of the tongue," she said quickly.

Optimus stepped forward and took her servos in his own larger servos, "Void, I know that you are reluctant to renew what was never lost, but I nearly lost you once, I don't want to lose you again," he told her.

"Optimus…" she started and looked at his blue optics.

The Prime raised a brow once more and she shook herself, "I…. I… oh frag it all!" Kara felt her jaw drop as Void wrapped her arms around Optimus and pulled him in for a deep kiss, having to catch herself as Void pressed her own scarred lips against Primes.

After several seconds she pulled away, a satisfied look on her faceplates, "Tell anyone of this, and I will scrap you," she threatened.

The expression on Optimus's faceplate was priceless and Kara almost wished she had a phone to take a picture of it, "I assure you Void, I will not tell anyone," he promised.

"Good," she said, and then pulled him in for another kiss, "I've missed that," she said as she pulled away.

Optimus on the other hand still seemed to be getting over the shock of Voids change in personality, and the femme chuckled, "Get back to work Optimus, we'll 'talk' more later," she ordered.

Kara ducked behind the wall as Optimus nodded and walked off, a faint smile gracing his lips. Once he had disappeared down the hall, Kara decided to make her presence known. She peeled herself off the wall and appeared in the hall.

Void noticed her, "Kara, did you need something?" she asked. The teen let took in a deep breath. After what she'd just witnessed, she almost didn't want to have this talk, but it needed to happen. Void had lied to her, and she needed to know why.

"Why did you lie?" Kara asked.

Voidwalker looked down at her. "About what?"

Kara floated up at pointed at her face. "Your name! It's not Voidwalker it's-"

Voidwalker snatched Kara out of the air and flattened her against the wall covering her mouth with her thumb. "Choose your next words very carefully."

Kara shoved her way off the wall. "Why!"

Voidwalker hissed and leaned down to her. "Because you rarely think of the consequences of your actions."

"Why did you lie!" Kara shouted.

"Keep your voice down Kara." Voidwalker said softly. "Please."

Kara opened her mouth and shut it again. "Why?" she hissed.

"Celestial Prime has a very negative reputation among the Autobots." She sighed. "And I am not her anymore," her optics drifted off. "there is too much pain in that name."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kara asked softly.

"Voidwalker is the name a chose for myself, it is the only name that matters." Voidwalker's voice grew increasing mournful.

"Ratchet said you were a spy for the Autobots, why would you have a negative reputation, or was he lying?"

Voidwalker sat down against the wall. "More like a half truth."

Kara waited and Voidwalker sighed.

"I did supply the Autobots with Intel," she stopped and closed her optics "but I fear I killed more then I saved."

"I don't understand." Kara shook head trying to get the image out of her mind.

"I was often placed in the front lines because of my skill. Yes I gave Optimus reports, but I killed many, many of his soldiers." Voidwalker laughed coarsely. "The Cons would joke about me being a one bot army."

"How many have you killed?" Kara asked.

"Enough to be hated among the Autobots, I've helped bots like Arachnid and Shockwave reach their goals. Arcee would probably jump at the chance to kill me."

"Why?"

"Someone had to give Tailgate to Airachnid." Void said coldly, her walls starting to fall back into place.

Rage bubble up in Kara. "You did that!"

"Hush Kara." Voidwalker gestured for her to be quiet. "You once asked me to tell about myself, this is why I did not. I have nothing to say that you want to hear."

Kara's eyes started to glow a dangerous red, "It doesn't matter! You're my partner, partner's don't keep secrets from each other like that! I thought you trusted me!"

Void bit her lip. "You are too young to understand the implications of what you asked, I only agree to be your guardian, not partner." she said coldly. "Because Optimus asked. In all honesty you do not need one."

Kara glared at Void, her eyes an angry red, "You still lied to me! Partners don't do that Void, I trusted you! I thought you trusted me!"

Voidwalker glanced away from her, looked anywhere but at her.

Kara felt some of her anger die. "You do trust me Void."

Silence.

"Void?"

Voidwalker carefully turned her arm and pulled a piece of armor free. Scared black wires pecked out from between the plates. "I trust no one." She put the piece back into place.

"Only Ratchet has ever really earned my trust, that is because he did practically raise me. My relationship with Optimus started out as an act, it was not something that happened by chance. I did grow to love him, but after I left with Megatron I found it very difficult to trust anyone." Voidwalker sighed again. "I know very little about you Kara, while you mean well you are not the most," she paused, "discreet person."

Kara clenched her hands and glared at her, a few tears leaking from her face, "Fine," she growled, "If that's how it's going to be," she turned on her heel and stormed off.

She stopped for a moment and turned back to Void, "For the record, I told you more about myself than anyone else, even my brother," she looked back down at the ground, "But I guess it didn't mean anything in the end, did it?"

Voidwalker looked sadly after her and whispered. "I did the same once and it only brought me pain,"

**A/N: Well…. damn. I initially had no plans for the big O and Void to get together this chapter but then I decided that it was a good point for it. But anyway, what did you guys think of the chapter? Good, bad, hilarious? Let me know what you thought of it all, and I guarantee that NONE of you will guess what happens in the next chapter, unless I told you. If I did, don't spoil it for the others. Anyway, PM me with ideas and questions, I promise not to bite. Bye!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Angels and Demons

_Autobot HQ…_

Kara flew down the halls at an astonishing speed, the wind causing her black hair to whip back and forth, and wiping the tears off her face as she turned around a corner. She wiped at her eyes with her hand, clearing them of the tears that had formed since her talk with Voidwalker.

The girl had been mad with her guardian for lying to her for sure, keeping such secrets from her. But what hurt the most… what really got to Kara was that Void didn't trust her. Didn't trust her to be able to keep a secret. That was what hurt her most. And if Void didn't trust her…

Kara shook her head and sniffed sadly as she rocketed through the main hall, stirring up a slight breeze. Ratchet called after her to see what was the matter, but she ignored him, instead she flew towards the base entrance. The large doors rumbled open as she flew through them, into the clear night sky.

She quickly redirected herself to Jasper, she needed a place to walk and think. Flying could work too, but she felt like she just needed to slow down tonight. To think everything through that had just happened.

She touched down at the edge of the little town, and started walking forward. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans, and looked up at the night sky, scanning the stars for something. While she looked at the stars, her mind wandered through all the events that had happened since Jack had found her.

He'd fought off Zod and his followers, saved the Earth from a mad AI, fought off a criminal overlord who was blackmailing him, and brought home a Kryptonian war hound to boot. All in the time span of a month. She smiled, it was no wonder that he and Arcee were at the dance, the two needed a break.

Kara let out a sigh as she walked, a break sounded real nice. Maybe a vacation of some kind. With the ground bridge, or her flying abilities, such an idea was not too farfetched. Kara suddenly smiled, her thoughts interrupted as she found a faint glimmering star amongst the thousands that littered the sky. Rao, the red giant that had once housed Krypton…her home.

A few tears gathered in her eyes as she remembered Krypton again. Her brother was right, the longer she stayed on Earth, the more it felt like home, but… Krypton would always be held in her heart. She couldn't help it, that's where there family had lived for thousands of years, even during the Golden Age. She felt bad that her brother would never get to experience the red sun of Krypton himself.

But then, Earth was his home, and she had to admit, the sun here was far more enjoyable than the one on her planet. It was a shame the humans had yet to fully utilize it. Even the red sun of Krypton would have enough energy to power there world, they were simply too stubborn to utilize it.

Kara shook her head, this wasn't the time to be thinking about that! She wasn't sure exactly _what_ she should be thinking of at the moment, but it wasn't that. She sighed as she calmed herself. She had to wonder though, how were things going in Dusk and Ultimus Prime's dimension? Were things going better for them since they left, or had all hell broken loose?

Kara's thoughts were interrupted as she bumped into someone, causing her to stumble backwards in surprise, "I'm sorry," she started, brushing herself off and looked up, "I should have watched… where…I was….going," her words trailed off as she saw the person… or young man to be more specific, that she'd bumped into.

He was tall, taller even than Dusk had been, with a muscular well built form. He had pale skin and dark black hair that was longer than the usual she saw for males. It went down just past his ears, and added a more rugged look to him. His eyes were a pale blue with what looked like hints of gold speckled through them. Put simply, he was drop dead gorgeous to any woman that would have seen him. Even alien woman, such as Kara.

Kara inwardly slapped herself and regained control of her rampant emotions, "Sorry, I should have watched where I was going," she extended her hand, "My names Kara, yours?"

The young man, who couldn't be older than 17 or 18, looked at her hand hesitantly before shaking it, "Malthanis," his voice had a timeless quality to it, being rich and deep. The mere sound of it gave the girl a boost in confidence. There was also a slight hint of a… British accent.

Kara cocked a brow, "Malthanis? Never heard a name like that before," she stated.

A nervous look spread across his face when Kara said that, "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" she quickly amended.

_"I sound like Kal," _she thought to herself, suppressing the urge to laugh.

"So," she continued, deciding to strike up a conversation, "What brings you to Jasper?" she asked him.

His eyes widened, "How did you-"

"You have a british accent, kind of obvious," she explained to him.

"I…will…oh," he said and fidgeted nervously.

"So, what are you doing in Jasper?" she asked again, now wanting an answer.

"Research," he answered quickly, "I have not had many chances to explore the world,"

"Well Jasper isn't exactly the best place to come for that Mal," Kara said, chuckling slightly.

"I…got lost," he admitted, scratching his head awkwardly.

Kara giggled at his awkwardness, "Well then, allow me to give you the grand tour of Jasper. I've got nothing better to do anyway," she said.

"Grand tour?"

"You know, show you around town and such, kill some time," she said. It didn't occur to her that she was essentially asking Malthanis on a date. Lucky for her, it didn't occur to him either.

"I suppose that such an arrangement would be acceptable," Malthanis said with a nod.

Kara smiled faintly, "Well then follow me, I'll show you what few things the middle of nowhere has to offer,"

_Outskirts of Jasper…_

The red and white form of Knockout roared past the outer limits of Jasper at a blistering speed. Though he would like to go racing, his orders from Lord Megatron took priority. The medic rolled his optics inwardly at his masters orders.

He was to field test the modifications he'd made to the Electro-staff he wielded against the Kryptonians. Now, going against those two was bad enough, but going against them with an untested weapon! Knockout had a feeling that Megatron was upset with him over something, though what it was, he didn't know.

All he knew was that odds were he was going to be in for another night of buffing out scratches and dents tonight. Knockout cursed his luck and pulled around a street, nearly stopping as he saw one of the Kryptonians, the female. She was with a large muscular human, and the two were about to pass by what might have been a school of some sort.

He grinned, maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought…

_Jasper High…_

Kara looked at Malthanis suspiciously as the pair were about to pass her school. He was an odd character to say the least. He had said little since Kara had begun her 'tour' and right now seemed oddly silent. He obviously was keeping a secret from her, but as she'd learned before, prying didn't work out.

She inwardly sighed as she remembered her argument with Void and how the two had ended it. Malthanis seemed to take notice of this, "Are you unwell miss?" he asked her.

She smiled at him, the teen, for clearly he was a teen, seemed very polite for a human. Question was, why?

"I'm fine Mal," she started, noticing him flinch at the use of her new nickname for him, "I'm just… I got in a fight with a friend, she kept some secrets from me because she wouldn't trust me," she didn't know why she was telling this guy she'd just met, but he just seemed to be trustworthy, even if he was keeping a secret himself.

A thoughtful look formed on the Malthanis's face before he spoke, "Did she tell you these secrets of hers?" he asked.

"I…well no, I overheard them," she admitted, "but she still should have trusted me!" she quickly added.

"Trust is something that takes time to build. Perhaps had you waited, your friend would have told you about her secrets in time," Malthanis suggested.

"A shame that time will never come!" a deep seductive voice snarled.

Kara whirled to see the red vehicle mode of Knockout parked next to her. He quickly transformed, and the pair stepped back, "How lovely to see you again Kara," the medic said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Malthanis, get behind me!" Kara ordered.

"Pardon?" he asked, confused.

"I said-"

"I heard you," he interrupted and glared at Knockout, "This… mechanical monstrosity doesn't scare me," he boldly stated.

Knockout snorted and pulled out his electro-staff, "Whatever organic, I'm not here for you," his staff flickered with purple electricity, "I'm here for the Kryptonian," and he jabbed it down at Kara.

She quickly dodged out of the way and leapt at Knockout, punching him in the faceplate. He let out a grunt of pain and skid backwards from the blow, but remained standing. He glared at the girl and whirled his staff in front of him. With a deft underhanded blow, he managed to strike Kara in the side, causing her to shriek in pain.

She dropped to the ground, her side burning with a ferocity she hadn't felt before. The pain blocked out all other senses, though she was dimly aware of Mal shouting her name. The foolish teen was going to get himself killed!

"I upped the voltage, and added a Dark Energon fuel source," Knockout said smugly, and stood above her, staff raised.

He stopped for a moment, and smiled, "Actually, I think it'll be a real _kick _if I did _this _instead," he reared back his pede and slammed it into Kara as she stood up, and the girl went flying to the school.

The brick walls exploded as she crashed through the wall and landed on the wooden tiles of the gym. She skid back a few feet before coming to a stop, letting out a dazed groan. The injury was already fading, but that didn't mean that it didn't still hurt.

"Kara?" a confused voice asked.

She tilted her head back to see a very confused Jack and Arcee standing there, "Just thought I'd… drop in," she said wearily.

The two immediately rushed over to her, Jack helping her up, "What happened?" he asked.

"I happened Jackie boy," Knockout said, peeking in from the hole Kara had left.

"Ooh, look at all the squishies," he said with evil delight, inciting screams of panic from the assembled teens as they fled from the gym.

Jack glared at the con as he broke through the wall to stand over the three, "Arcee," he whispered, "Get out of here, you'll only get in the way," he ordered. The femme nodded and ran off, grumbling as she had to hike up the dress to get any real traction.

Jack turned back to Knockout once she was gone, "You picked the wrong day to attack Jasper Knockout," Jack growled.

"On the contrary," the medic said, brandishing his staff, "I think now is the perfect time to attack,"

"Kal, his staff, it can hurt us!" Kara warned, leaping out of the way as Knockout stabbed down at her.

"Quiet you, you'll spoil the surprise," he growled.

"You mean _this _surprise!?" Jack yelled as he slammed his knee into Knockout's face.

The medic stumbled back, flailing his arms. Unfortunately, one of said arms held the staff, which clipped Jack as Knockout fell back. The teen let out a scream of pain and was knocked back, crashing into Kara on the ground.

He felt a burning sensation in his leg, and looked to see that the skin around his upper leg was partially charred. He touched at it cautiously, and immediately withdrew his hand, letting out a pained hiss. It would take at least ten minutes for such an injury to heal. Ten minutes, that he and Kara didn't have.

"Well it's been fun kids, but it seems this mech's new party trick did a real number of you," he whirled the Dark Energon Electro-Staff casually in his hand as he strode up to them.

"HALT!" a deep voice ordered from the large hole in the wall.

Knockout turned to see Malthanis standing there, a stern expression on his face, "I know not what you are creature, but I know that I will not allow you to harm the innocent,"

Jack eyed the guy with respect. He was nuts for challenging a Cybertronian, but it took some major courage to stand up to them. He was going to die now of course, but at least he'd die knowing he stood up to a 2 story robot.

"I don't know who you are human, but I've got to say, you've got some bearings," Knockout held up the staff and it sparked menacingly.

"Shame I have to _rip _them off," he snarled.

Malthanis stood still, staring down the con, "You do not frighten me, I have faced far worse than you," with that he raised his arms and a bright light surrounded him, blinding everyone nearby. Jack raised an arm over his eyes, protecting them from the light.

He dropped his arm as the light died down, and felt his jaw hang open in shock. Where Malthanis once stood before… was someone entirely different.

He stood over eight feet tall, covered in silvery armor that was highlighted in gold. Elegant robes hung from the armor, and a hood was draped over his head, his face completely obscured from view. He was thickly and evenly built, with the body of a soldier. But it was what was on his back that really caught Jack's attention.

Two _massive_ wings sprouted from his back, easily reaching over twenty feet from tip to tip. Unlike the wings that Dusk had though, his looked nothing like the standard wing. Instead, metal armor sprouted from his back, creating the outer skeletal form of wing instead. Sprouting from several joints located along the wing, were whips of vibrant blue energy which waved back and forth in slow motion, as if trapped under water.

This new figure's hooded face looked up at Knockout, **"I am Malthanis, Seraphim, and apprentice to both Imperius, the Archangel of Valor, and Tyrael, Aspect of Wisdom,"** his voice before had been deep, but now it sounded as if a chorus of people were speaking, and the mere sound of it had a strengthening effect on Jack, making him feel more confident, happier.

Knockout took a step back from the self proclaimed angel before his faceplate hardened, "Right, and I'm the herald of Primus," he snorted, bringing his staff to bear.

Malthanis raised an outstretched hand, **"Lay down your weapon cretin, and I may spare your life," **he ordered.

"Make me tiny," Knockout growled, tightening his grip on the staff.

Malthanis drooped his head slightly, **"So be it,"**

A bright light shone from the heavens, and something slammed into the ground, kicking up dust. When the dust cleared, a large triangular shield, constructed of the same metals as that of his armor, was embedded in the ground. The angel pulled it out with ease, and gripped a hilt that was sticking out from the top. With a low hiss, he drew and elegant blade from the shield.

It was made of a silvery steel metal, narrowing midway through before thickening at the end and coming to a point. Elaborate runes decorated the blade and it's hilt, with a large gem embedded where the blade met the hilt, creating the appearance of a star. The sword was easily over six feet long, but he wielded it with practiced ease.

"Cool toys," Knockout said, "Mine our bigger,"

With that he let out a loud battle cry, stabbing his staff at Malthanis. The angels entire form suddenly started to glow bright red, like a piece of steel left in a fire for too long. He quickly turned white hot and his form dissipated into vapor. All of this happened in an instant, and the vapor swirled up and around the staff.

It snaked its way up his staff and around his arm until Malthanis reformed floating above his shoulder, wings flared. He shot past the medic, and swung his sword forward, landing on the other sign of the con. Knockout let out a pained grunt and put a servo to his cheek, feeling the Energon leaking from the cut.

He whirled to face Malthanis angrily, "You GLITCH! You have any idea how long it'll take me to buff this out!"

Malthanis raised his blade to point at Knockout, **"Your vanity will only serve to blind you," **he warned, and light coalesced at the end of his sword. With a loud 'boom' a massive surge of light energy collided with Knockout, engulfing him.

Jack and Kara dodged out of the way, shielding their eyes as they did. There was a loud crash, followed by the sound of falling debris. When the light died down, Jack lowered his arm to see that a neat hole had been left next to Knockout's original hole.

Malthanis flew through the hole, the vibrant blue energy tendrils on his back creating the illusion of wings. Knockout shakily stood to his pedes, his paintjob utterly scorched and ruined. The prissy mach looked at his paint job, and glared at the angel with his blood red optics.

He readied his staff and shifted his left servo into a saw blade, "You scratch my paint, I scratch yours!" he screamed.

He charged forward, saw blade whirring, and swung at Malthanis. To his shock, the armored figure caught the saw blade on the edge of his own sword, holding it in place. His armor started to glow white hot again, and he dissipated, Knockout stumbling forward without Malthanis fighting against him.

Malthanis reappeared behind him, and his blade shifted into vapor, its handle elongating while the sword blade shortened. When it reformed, it was in the shape of a twelve foot spear. His shield disappeared in a cloud of steam, and Malthanis gripped the spear at the ready as Knockout turned to face him.

The medic growled angrily and began swinging his staff at him, stabbing and slashing at him. Malthanis dodged each blow with ease, never attacking, only dodging. He flew back as Knockout slammed his staff down at him, imbedding it into the ground.

Malthanis seized the opportunity, and shot forward, spinning around, spear in hand. There was a sound of metal on metal, followed by a thunder clap as Knockout's staff broke in two. The energy expanded in a massive explosion that knocked Malthanis back. The angel skid backwards against the ground, leaving deep furrows in the ground.

Knockout was knocked back on his aft from the explosion, his left servo a charred stump, "Gragh! Look what you did now!" he squealed, comically waving the stump in the air.

Jack and Kara watched from the sidelines, dumbfounded by what they were seeing. If anything, Malthanis almost seemed to be… toying, with the con. And he was still kicking his aft! Jack would have helped, but his injury was still healing. He'd only get in the way if he tried to help, not that the angel needed it.

Malthanis looked at him with the black void that was created by his hood, **"I grow weary of your complaints** **cretin," **

He shot forward, flying across the ground towards Knockout. The con raised his remaining servo to crush the irritating organic, and slammed it on him, only for Malthanis to revert to vapor as his servo connected. He immediately reformed and attacked, his spear heading straight for Knockout's optic.

There was a loud crunch, and Knockout screeched in pain. Malthanis angled his spear forward like a lever, and Knockout fell on his back with a loud thud. The angel pulled his spear out with a sickening sound of metal on glass, and stepped back, placing the blade under Knockout's chin.

Jacks eyes widened and he stood as he realized his intentions, **"You have committed crimes against the innocent," **Malthanis stated, his voice booming. He reared the spear back, **"And as such, you shall face justice!"**

Jack's hand grabbed the spear, holding it in place with an iron grip, "Stop it!" he ordered with a serious look on his face, "This isn't right,"

Malthanis turned his gaze to him, and Jack felt his blood run cold as he realized the hood didn't hide his face. Malthanis had no face, no head to speak of, **"This metal vermin is guilty, more than you know,"**

Jack narrowed his eyes "I won't allow the helpless to die,"

**"You mean you would not allow the guilty to face Justice?" **Malthanis asked.

"What?"

**"Why should the guilty live, only to once again harm the innocent. I see no common logic in your argument, Kal-El."**

The shock was obvious on Jack's face "How did you-"

**"I know many things."** Malthanis said cryptically.

Jack narrowed his eyes, "So in other words, Kara told you my real name," he deadpanned.

"I did," she said landing next to them, "Of course I didn't know that he was the fragging harbinger of death," she glared at Malthanis, who straightened his wings indignantly.

**"I lied to you because this world did not need to know of my presence. I apologize if I offended you,"** Kara blushed ever so slightly, and Jack resumed his glare.

"Ugh, this is all said and good, but can I go now?" Knockout asked, peaking up at the three organics' arguing on his chest plate.

Malthanis shoved the blade under his chin, tilting the con's head up, **"You will face justice vermin, no amount of begging shall change that,"** he growled.

Jack ripped the spear from his hand, and the angel turned to him in shock, "No," Jack stated.

**"You dare-"**

"I will not let you take the law into your own hands. You claim to be a servant of justice," Jack started, "But executing a prisoner without a fair trial is just as much an injustice as simply letting them go," Jack couldn't believe what he was saying, but he stood behind it, every word.

The two glared at each other, **"I could easily take my weapon back from you," **Malthanis said.

Jack narrowed his eyes, "No you couldn't, but I could send you on a one way trip to the sun," he threatened.

Malthanis almost seemed to look Jack over before letting out a laugh, **"Very well Kal-El, you have made your point for now,"** his weapon faded to mist and reappeared in his hand.

He looked to Knockout, **"You are free for now vermin. Go scurry back into the hole you crawled out of,"**

Malthanis jumped off the con along with Jack and Kara, and Knockout scrambled away from them in a very undignified manner. A bridge opened up and the red medic disappeared through it, leaving the three alone.

Kara turned to look at Malthanis, hands on her hips, "Now, if you don't mind, who the frag are you really? And where are you from?" she demanded.

Malthanis regarded the two silently, before extending his hand **"It would be easier to show you,"** he saw the looks of suspicion, **"I will not harm you, nor take you to a realm you do not wish to be in. I only wish to show and explain,"**

Reluctantly, Kara and Jack placed their hands on his gauntlet… to see things they never could have imagined…

**A/N: Short chapter I know, but I decided to split this chapter into two parts. Malthanis is not my creation to those who are wondering, he was created by MEleesmasher, and he practically begged me to put him in. He is the last good guy I will be adding to the team, and if you don't like him, direct all hate mail to Melee. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of the chapter, leave a review below. Or PM me with questions or ideas, I don't bite…. much. Bye!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:Malthanis

_Unknown Location…_

Utter darkness. That's all that Jack saw, floating through an endless void. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. He couldn't even see Kara in this endless darkness. He scowled at his predicament, cursing the supposed angel that had done this. He knew taking his hand had been a bad idea… yet something had convinced him to trust him.

He snorted, that's what he got for trusting the guy. Still, his gut told him that he wasn't in any danger. For once though, Jack didn't trust his instincts. He was floating in an endless darkness, alone, and his instincts seemed to be unaware of that at the moment.

As he floated though, he heard a voice, "Kal!" his heart leapt for joy as he heard his sister calling him.

He started twisting in the darkness, calling out for her, "Kara!" he called, his voice quickly fading into the inky blackness.

Suddenly her form emerged from the darkness, flying straight towards him, "Kal!" she cried happily and the two met in the darkness midair.

"Kara you're alright!" her brother cried in return, and looked around, "But exactly where are we?" he asked.

"I don't really know," she admitted, "last thing I remember is grabbing hold of Malthanis's hand. Next thing I know, I'm floating through endless darkness,"

Jack snarled and slashed his hand through the air, "I knew we shouldn't have trusted that guy! We knew almost nothing about him, and we trusted him!"

**"Trust is something that must be earned in time Kal-El," **the two turned in the air to see Malthanis descending towards them, his form illuminating the darkness.

"Well you've failed pretty bad at earning it then Mal," Jack growled, his eyes flashing red.

The angel raised a gauntlet clad hand to calm him, **"It was not my intention to cause this, but I fear my experience with this is limited,"** he admitted.

"Experience with what?" Kara asked him, placing a calming hand on Jack.

Malthanis seemed to land on an invisible platform in front of the two, **"I wished to show you my thoughts and memories to explain where I am from. However it would seem that I accidently sent you into my mind,"** he almost sounded embarrassed by this, and Kara had to suppress the urge to giggle at him.

Jack on the other hand let out a chuckle, "Pretty empty mind you got here Mal," he said looking at the empty void.

Malthanis turned his hood to look at him, **"All my thoughts and memories are represented in this form Kal-El, if I allowed all my memories to be displayed it could very well overwhelm and kill you,"** his voice was dead serious.

Jack gulped, "I…oh…." he shook himself and looked at the angel, "So you really weren't trying to hurt us?" he asked.

He shook his head, "Then I'm sorry for acting like such an aft to you. Things have been tense here," Jack scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

**"Your distrust was warranted Kal-El, I have not done much to earn your trust,"** Jack looked at Malthanis, shocked by what he said, **"But, if you allow me to explain my world, to show you my memories, then you will see that I mean you and those you care for no harm,"**

Jack looked to Kara, and his sister nodded. Jack looked back to Malthanis, "Alright, why are you here, if you're an angel?" he asked.

**"Not by choice mind you, I was trying to get to Sanctuary, the human world where I am from. A mistake in the spell however, sent me to your world instead. My attempt to return ended in failure," **Malthanis lowered his hood.

**"But my reasons for going in the first place are my own, and I would appreciate if you did not ask," **Jack and Kara nodded in understanding.

Kara had realized by now that prying wasn't a good idea. Secrets weren't meant to be easily exposed. If it was being kept a secret, then obviously said secret keeper didn't want anyone to know. And Kara realized that she had to accept that, no matter how much she didn't want to.

"So exactly what did you want to show us?" Kara asked, moving the conversation forwards.

**"My motivation for coming to the human world, and the events that lead to it," ** he turned and waved his hand, and a bright light began to shine.

**"I will not be able to communicate with you in this time, but you may watch and perceive what happens," **his form faded, and the light increased in intensity, causing Kara and Jack to shield their eyes. The light died down, and their jaws dropped as a magnificent room formed around them...

* * *

It was a massive room, larger than the main headquarters of the Autobot base. Metal walls constituted its entire architecture, silvery and gold designs engraved into the structures. Golden light streamed in through massive windows, no sign of electrical lights anywhere. Pillars of gilded steel supported the ceiling, and two massive hallways lead into the circular room.

Platforms lined the walls, one massive one with a single chair occupying one of the walls on its own. Gathered amongst the platforms, were angels of varying sizes, armor types, and wing colors, ranging from red, to blue, or even pink.

Jack realized that he and Kara were standing among one such platform, with Malthanis standing next to them. They were the only ones occupying the upper platform, and Malthanis seemed oblivious to them. He stood, hunched over the rail, glaring down at an angel standing in the middle of the chamber.

This angel had wings of a vibrant blue, spreading from his back with no physical structure to speak of. His armor bore some resemblance to that of Malthanis's, but it seemed more elaborate, as if his armor had had more time put into it. His entire form seemed to demand respect, and Jack couldn't help but feel like this angel would do whatever it took just to protect the innocent. All this he could just feel emanating off him.

**"Tyrael!" **another massive angel growled, pointing at him accusingly. His armor appeared to be crafted of a golden bronze armor, and enhanced his already imposing figure. Long robes of metal hung from his midsection, and a bronze halo floated above an ornate helmet that seemed to be crafted to resemble an angry scowl. His wings though, were huge, twice the size of their own angel friends, and appeared to be crafted of living fire.

Like Malthanis, metal structures formed the basic skeletal structure of his wings, and the fire forged the wings themselves. Said wings were currently flared out to their full massive size, dominating the room while the angel glared at Tyrael.

**"The ancient law of the High Heavens, strictly forbids us from interfering with the mortal world," **he quickly glanced around the crowded room before continuing, **"But you have done so, brazenly!"** there were murmurs through the crowd as angels discussed whatever the possible ramifications for something like this was.

Tyrael strode forward, unafraid of the clearly larger angel or the crowds of them above, **"All I am guilty of Imperius, is bringing justice!" **he boldly steeped forward, **"While you hide, cowering behind your throne,"**

There were gasps of outrage through the chamber at this accusation, and Imperius raised his hand, clenching it as it turned white hot, **"SILENCE!"**

His entire form turned to vapor, blasting into the air like a massive geyser. It shot straight forward, dashing through the air at precise 90 degree angles. It crashed down in front of Tyrael, reforming into the hulking form of Imperius.

**"You will now answer for your transgressions!" **his hand shot out and gripped Tyrael around the throat, causing the angel to let out a strangled grunt as Imperius lifted him into the air with ease. Jack watched with rapt attention, but noticed Malthanis gripping the rail tighter as he watched.

A massive spear materialized in one of Imperius's outstretched hands with a cloud of smoke and steam. He thrust forward at Tyraels hood, a killing blow. Tyrael shifted his head to the side, letting the blade harmlessly pass by. With a fast movement, he gripped the spear by the shaft and attempted to rip it from his attackers grasp.

Neither angel let go, and they went spiraling up, Imperius slamming Tyrael into the base of his throne. Both let out grunts of pain and fell to the floor in a heap, the spear slipping out of their grasp and spinning across the floor. It skid to a stop, in the center of the chamber, out of reach of both angels.

Imperius looked from the spear to Tyrael, and let out an angry roar, shoving Tyrael off him. He turned to steam and darted to the spear, crashing into the ground in front of it, wings spread out against the ground. He reached out to grab it, only for Tyrael to casually pick it up first, holding it to the angels throat.

The room fell deathly silent as the two glared at each other. The tension was so thick that Jack could have reached out and grabbed hold of it. Malthanis practically crushed the railing in his grip.

Finally, Tyrael spoke, **"You cannot judge me, I am justice itself!"** he looked up to the angels, addressing them all, **"We were meant for more than this!" **he looked at all the angles accusingly, his hooded glare passing over their own platform.

**"To protect the innocent!"** he looked back at Imperius, **"But if our precious **_**laws**_** bind you to inaction, then I will no longer stand, as your brother,"** he slammed the spear into the ground, leaving it embedded there.

He reached up and gripped his shoulder pads, pulling against them with pained grunts. Every angel in the room backed away from him, **"Sacrilege!"** Malthanis hissed as he stepped away.

Jack and Kara looked to him confused, before a massive shockwave emanated from Tyrael as his shoulder pads… and his wings, fell to the floor. The armor started to glow white hot as they melted into the floor. Tyrael's hood fell back, and it was as if an invisible cloth had been sent a flame as a face slowly began to take shape.

Orange tendrils of energy slowly snaked up from the floor, dancing around Tyrael. One of them whipped forward, wrapping around his arm, another doing the same. A third wrapped around his waist, dragging him down through the molten floor. And then, the vision faded, only to be replaced with another...

* * *

Now the two stood on a massive wall overlooking tracks of land made of metal and glass, pillars littered through the area. But what truly caught their attention, was the massive bank of pitch black angry clouds slowly approaching them, lightning strikes occasionally illuminating them. Jack looked down one end to see the bank was endless on both sides.

The sound of two pairs of feet landing next to them caught their attention, and the siblings turned to see Malthanis and Imperius striding towards the edge of the wall. Jack glared at Imperius, resisting the urge to try and cave in the smug angels pretty little helmet. These were just memories, and so there was nothing he could do except watch.

**"Master, allow me to assist you," **Malthanis insisted as they stopped at the edge of the wall.

**"With our combined might, we can hold Diablo here, prevent him from entering the High Heavens!" **he continued to insist.

Imperius casually turned to regard Malthanis, **"My apprentice, are you saying that I lack the strength, the courage, to face my ancient enemy alone!?" **he demanded angrily.

Malthanis stepped back, **"Of course not master, I only thought that working together would increase our strength. Or better yet, allow me to bring my squad of seraphim, we can overwhelm and capture Diablo!"**

Imperius glared at Malthanis for several moments before sighing, **"Very well, go and fetch the Seraphim, "** he ordered, turning to look at the encroaching clouds**," I shall wait for your return,"**

Malthanis nodded and took off, and once more the vision shifted. Now they were watching as a group of angels, twenty strong assembled in an even line while Malthanis stood before them. Each angel varied in size, their armors ranging from plain to ornamental, hoods to helmets, and everything in between. All their wings were either red or blue, and they appeared to have a strength to them, emanating from their forms.

Malthanis summoned his sword and shield, **"Seraphim, Diablo has lead a host of demons to the gates of heaven. My master, Imperius plans to engage him once we have reinforced him, to cut off the head of this vile army. To kill Diablo,"**

There were mutterings among the group, **"I know you are worried of facing a Prime Evil, but if we fight together, with unity and strength," **he raised his sword into the air, **"then we shall triumph!"**

The seraphim let out a collective cheer, raising their weapons in applause. Jack had to admit, if these other seraphim could fight like Malthanis, this Diablo would stand no chance against them, **"To battle!" **he roared, and the angels turned to ascend the wall… right as the silver gates to heaven shattered in a magnificent explosion that caused all the seraphim to go flying back, crashing into pillars, buildings, or the ground itself.

Once the dust settled, the seraphim slowly stood on their feet, looking in horror at the ugly hole in their once shining gate. A sadistic dark chuckle, sounding deeper and older than almost anything Jack had yet to meet, emanated from beyond the gate.

**"Even in heaven, Angels still know fear,"** it growled, and the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard emanating from the hole.

Slowly, a monstrous figure came into view, and the siblings stiffened. For an organic creature, it was massive, taller than Bumblebee, covered in a hideous red hide. Massive black spikes emerged from its back and head, and two large mandibles protruded from either side of its grotesque mouth. It's teeth were needle thin and black, a red light illuminating the inner workings of it.

An orange light illuminated its chest, with a spider web of skin and bone covering it. Its arms split into four separate beings, each one wielding razor sharp black talons on either end. Black organic blades emerged from its main arms, serrated to a razor point. A long thick tail trailed behind it, adding to the animal effect. Combined with its digit grade legs and clawed feet, the creature was the living embodiment of a demon.

Malthanis and the other angels readied their weapons, **"Diablo," **he hissed.

The demon let out a dark chuckle** "Gaze upon the destruction I have wrought angels. This is only the beginning!"**

**"Not while we still stand, demon,"** Malthanis replied defiantly.

**"For someone whose title is the Archangel of Valor, Imperius is a cowering pest, sending his pup to challenge me," **the Prime Evil glared at Malthanis and his Seraphim warriors.

Malthanis didn't move, though Jack had a feeling he was cursing Imperius at the moment, **"My master has his own duties to attend to. We however, shall ensure that you will not pass,"**

Diablo looked over the angels and chuckled darkly **"You are still young, as your elders cower before my might, including those who claim to be of Valor,"**

**"We will not go down so easily, Prime Evil,"** Malthanis growled, and several of the Seraphim shifted uneasily.

**"You are right,"** Diablo's orange soulless eyes looked directly at his hood, **"You will barely register as nothing more than **_**pests**_**,"**

As he finished his sentence, a massive ring of fire engulfed three of the seraphim, incinerating them instantly. The demon teleported and reappeared between two more, stabbing his twisted black blades through their chests. The two screamed silently, their forms convulsing and their armor caving in on itself, white blood gushing from the wound.

**"Attack!" **Malthanis ordered, and the remaining forces assaulted Diablo. Lightning, fire and ice flew through the air at the demon, who raised a single arm, halting most of their attacks. The few that managed to impact against him, left no sign of damage on his form. He grinned with his disgusting fangs, and charged forward, tail lashing behind him as heavy footsteps echoed against the metal floor.

He twisted and his tail slammed into two of the seraphim, shattering them with ease. He used his momentum to lash forward and impaled another. He tossed him off his blade into a seraphim, knocking them into the ground, only to be crushed under foot. Diablo roared at five seraphim that were rocketing towards them, his roar causing them to slam back into the wall, crushed by the sheer force of his attack.

The demon turned to look at the remaining six seraphim, who had surrounded him. Malthanis floated above the six, his sword and shield at the ready. If it was possible for a being with no lips and limited facial expressions, Diablo managed to smirk, and a ring of searing flame shot up around him, causing the angels to break formation as another was incinerated.

The next few seconds were a flash of blades, talons, fire, and claws as Diablo tore the rest of Malthanis' fellow Seraphim apart. Only he was left, standing before Diablo, weapons at the ready. Diablo slowly stalked towards him with a casual air about him. Jack watched impressed as Malthanis held his ground against the demon, his shield raised defensively.

Diablo looked at him amused **"Little angel, your comrades are dead, your so called angel of valor defeated, and your shining gates of heaven destroyed. You fight for a lost cause,"**

Malthanis gripped his sword tighter, **"Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless, I will not flee, I will fight to my last breath!"**

Diablo tightened his hand, and his wicked black blade extended, **"Then allow me to assist you!"** the blade shot towards him at a speed that even Jack and Kara could barely comprehend, and Malthanis barely raise his shield in time.

There was a screech of metal on metal as Diablo's blade scraped against his shield, before puncturing the very top. Malthanis stumbled back as Diablo ripped the shield from his grasp and stabbed down. The seraphim flew upwards and his sword shifted to a spear. With a spin, his blade slashed into Diablo's arm, leaving a thin cut.

The demon roared at him, and Malthanis let out a gasp of pain as both blades slammed into his body. One pierced his midsection, while the other went clean through his shoulder. He froze, twitching in pain as the demon slowly brought him closer to his leathery face.

Mal's armor creaked ominously as he was moved closer, and Diablo spoke **"I will not kill you yet angel. I want you to see what will become of your shining heaven. Once you have seen it, and known full despair, then you will die,"** he slid his blades out from Mal's body and let him fall to the ground, white blood gushing from his wounds.

Jack resisted the urge to run over and see if he was okay, as the vision once again began to shift…

* * *

The next vision to appeared showed the once glowing Heavens covered in dark clouds. The two still were at the rubble that had once constituted the gates, but they knew something was wrong. The whole area felt… dead, cold. The complete polar opposite of how it had appeared previously.

Jack looked in the direction that Diablo had stalked off in, and saw that it was littered with death and destruction. The corpses of angels were strewn in the never ending path of death. Jack knew it was just a memory, but he felt sick just looking at the carnage.

A low groan emanated from the rubble and the two looked to see Malthanis emerge from the rubble. His wounds were at least sealed, but he was far from healthy. His once elegant robes were torn and covered in filth, the pure white color nearly invisible to the naked eye. But his wings, sweet Primus his wings!

The metal that made up their frame was twisted and hung limply behind him, the flames that once made them up were gone, Only trails of smoke snaked out from the husks that once held them, and his hood was ragged and torn. There was only one word that described the once glorious angel.

Defeated.

He gripped his shoulder and slowly limped forward, part of the armor on his knee crushed. His footsteps were slow and deliberate, echoing across the steel ground of the heavens. He looked from side to side as he walked, before collapsing, no more than a few steps from the pile of rubble he'd emerged from.

He used his gauntlet clad hands to keep him from falling completely to the floor, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to last… Until…

**"Malthanis," **a familiar voice growled, and Imperius strode into view, his own magnificent wings extinguished.

Their angel friend looked up weakly at Imperius, **"Master… what happened? Why did you not wait for us?"** his voice was weak, as if someone had drained the strength from it.

**"It would not have mattered, Diablo has grown to powerful, you would have only gotten in the way," **Imperius waved a gloved hand dismissively as Malthanis slowly stood without assistance.

Malthanis looked up at him, hands clenched, **"How could you have known for sure!?" **he demanded ,**"We might have been able to stop him if we'd worked together! Instead you charged off blindly into battle once more, and now the Seraphim are dead, and the crystal arch corrupted,"** he pointed an accusing finger at the angels helmed face.

If it was possible, the scowl crafted onto the archangels helmet seemed to deepen, **"Do not speak to me with such insolence apprentice!"** he roared, stamping forward.

Malthanis did not move as Imperius began to rant, **"You are nothing more than a child, barely an adult even by mortal standards! You cannot possibly grasp the decisions I must make as the leader of the council!"**

Malthanis didn't back down, instead roaring back at Imperius, **"A child I may be Imperius, but even I recognize a prideful coward when I see one! The fall of heaven is your own fault, a mistake brought on by your own prideful arrogance!"**

Imperius gripped Malthanis by the throat and lifted him into the air, the apprentice not moving. He pulled his spear out of the ground and pressed it against his throat. Malthanis stared at his masters empty helmet, **"Go ahead. Do it. You've already signed the death of our kind. Why not take the life of your apprentice as well," **his voice was dry and bitter.

Imperius glared at him for several seconds before he let out a frustrated yell, and slammed his spear back into the ground, flinging Malthanis into a large chunk of marble and steel with a painful crash. He slid down with a pained groan, and a small trickle of white blood could be seen leaking from his shoulder.

**"I will not kill you, but know this Malthanis," **Imperius growled, pointing his spear at the angel, **"You are no longer my apprentice, and should you ever cross me or our brethren, I will not hesitate to kill you,"**

And suddenly the vision faded to blackness, Malthanis appearing before them in all his glory, "What… did we just see?" Kara asked, her face white with shock.

**"You saw the beginning and end of what was almost the fall of the High Heavens. Only a mortal was able to save us, casting down Diablo from the Crystal Arch. With him defeated, Tyrael retook his position on the council as the Aspect of Wisdom, and the mortal returned to sanctuary, disappearing to parts unknown,"**

"Why show us this?" Jack asked, stepping forward.

Malthanis looked to the teen, **"In order to understand my reasoning for coming to the mortal realm, you must understand the shift in my thinking. Those three events were key aspects in my existence where the teachings from Imperius began to fade. By the time Diablo was defeated, I realized that Imperius was not as powerful as I once thought he was,"**

He stepped aside, **"There is one final event I must show you," **he faded before they could ask questions, and a new scene formed.

They now stood on a large platform under an elaborate archway, overlooking the high heavens. Clouds of white coated the city, with gleaming towers occasionally piercing the veil into the orange light of the sunset. A lone figure wrapped in a ragged cloak with gleaming armor peaking from it watched the city from overhead.

Malthanis stood a good distance behind the figure, his wings drooped in what could only be nervousness. Cautiously, he began to walk forward towards the figure. He took only three steps before the figure spoke in a familiar voice.

"There is no need to fear me, Malthanis. I will not harm you," Jack and Kara's eyes widened as they realized that this was Tyrael, but as a human! Now that Jack knew that, he realized that the armor had seemed familiar, and the build. For a human, he was still his massive size, dwarfing any normal human with ease.

Malthanis froze and Tyrael turned to face him. He lacked any form of hair on his head, and had well tanned skin. A few wrinkles lined his face, and it seemed to contain an ageless kindness to it. Even as a human, he still had a comforting aura about him.

"Now, for what reason does the former apprentice of Imperius wish to speak to me?" he asked.

Malthanis took a few more cautious steps forward before kneeling at Tyrael's feet, causing the man to raise a brow, **"I…realized, after Diablo's attack, that I still have much to learn… and I would be honored if you'd… be willing… to take me on as your apprentice,"**

He kept his hood bowed as Tyrael regarded him with curiosity, letting loose a single "Hmm,"

Malthanis looked up, worriedly, **"I-if you do not wish to take on an angel on your apprentice," **he stood to his full height and gripped the armor attached to his wings, **"I will gladly remove my wings so that I may learn under your tutelage,"**

Tyrael smiled, "That will not be necessary young one. I will gladly accept you as my apprentice," he told him.

Malthanis let his hands drop to his side, and though he said nothing, the waves of relief rolling off him where obvious, "But we will have much work to do, if you are to be my apprentice. There is much for you to learn, and unlearn,"

**"Unlearn?" **Malthanis asked, confused by Tyrael's words.

Tyrael nodded, "You have many ways of thinking and habits that you will have learned from Imperius, ones that I will not tolerate. Despite this though, I believe that you have potential,"

Malthanis bowed, **"Thank you, Ty-Master,"**

_Outside Jasper High…_

Jack and Kara gasped simultaneously and collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily as the vision ended. Jack panted heavily as he regained his composure. Everything he'd seen… there were more like Malthanis, some more powerful? If that was the case….

He shook his head, they weren't evil conqueror's, Malthanis wasn't even supposed to be here. He slowly got to his feet, helping Kara up off the ground as she shook her head. Once the two were steady on their feet, they looked up at Malthanis.

**"So now you see that I am no threat to you,"** he stated.

Jack nodded, "Yes, I do," he looked to Kara.

Kara was staring at Malthanis with a mixed look of respect and concern. She stepped forward, "Those wounds… from Diablo… they left scars," she pointed at two weld marks on his armor, where Diablo had stabbed him.

Malthanis looked down at them, **"Only an Archangel could recover from such wounds fully, I am far too young to emerge from an encounter with the Prime Evil… unscathed,"**

"I guess it's a good thing you only came out with scars. Otherwise my brother and I might have died," Kara said, smiling faintly.

Malthanis regarded Kara with an unreadable emotion, **"Perhaps you are right,"** he started. A bridge suddenly opened, interrupting whatever he was going to say next.

He looked back to them both, **"I must leave, I have no wish to stay any longer,"** he turned to fly off, wings spread.

"Wait," Kara started, causing him to stop, his wings drooping, "Why not stay with us? We can give you a home at the Autobot base,"

He shook his head, **"I may consider your offer, but for now," **he looked out into the night sky, **"I have a world to explore," **he took off into the air, disappearing right as the Autobots rolled through, Void and Arcee leading the group.

"Jack!" Arcee cried and scooped the boy into her arms, crushing him in a bear hug.

"Arcee….can't…breath," he gasped.

The femme smirked, "You're practically indestructible Jack, a little hug won't hurt," she teased before letting him go.

Jack looked downcast, "Sorry our night was ruined," he said quietly.

Arcee smiled and placed a servo on him, "Long as your safe Superboy, that's all that matters to me,"

"You guys are okay, right?" Bulkhead asked.

Kara and Jack nodded, "We're fine, managed to fight off Doc Knock even with his new toy," Kara said, and quickly explained the events leading up to the defeat of Knockout, but leaving out Malthanis. The bots didn't need to know about him… yet.

Arcee looked to Jack concerned when she mentioned how the staff had been able to hurt them, but he waved her off, "Already healed, see?" he motioned to the hole on the side of his pants exposing part of his leg.

"It is fortunate that you and Jackson were able to defeat Knockout before his weapon could cause further harm," Optimus said, "However, we must remain cautious, for if Megatron truly is developing new weapons to harm you, the tide of the war may turn,"

Worried looks crossed everyone's faces and faceplates, "But for now," Optimus continued, "Let us be thankful that our allies our safe,"

Everyone seemed to brighten at this and began making their way to the ground bridge. As Void walked to the bridge, a soft voice stopped her, "Void…" Kara started, and the femme turned to look at her.

Kara rubbed her arm and looked at the ground, scuffing her shoe against the ground, "I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for how I acted. I didn't realize that you might have kept your secrets for a reason, and that I shouldn't have gotten angry with you," she looked at her guardian with a few tears in her eyes.

"Can you… can you please forgive me?" she asked, her voice quivering.

Void kneeled to eye level with Kara, her platinum optics locking with her eyes, "Child, I understand perfectly why you acted that way. I forgive you,"

Kara smiled, "So you'll still be my guardian?" she asked hopefully.

A very faint smile graced Voidwalker's lips, "Yes, I will remain as your guardian. Especially with these new weapons in development, you will need me to keep you safe little one,"

Kara hugged her guardian, "Thank you," she whispered.

**A/N: So that's Malthanis for you. What did you guys think of the chapter? Let me know in your reviews. Also, I apologize for taking so long to update. Two reasons for that, one is school, the other is that I discovered the anime Attack on Titan and have now watched the entire series. Its addicting. Anyway, remember to leave a review and PM me with plot based questions and ideas.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Consequences and Separation

_Jasper High, the next day…_

"These…these _aliens, _are far too dangerous to allow at this school!" a middle aged woman with graying red hair exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Kara and Jack, the latter of whom let out a depressed sigh.

He should have expected this after the hole Knockout had left in the gym the previous day. But after meeting Malthanis and returning home, it really had seemed inconsequential. He'd forgotten the fact that he and Arcee weren't the only ones who'd been at the dance. Now he and the rest of his family was at a meeting with the School Board of governors and the PTA committee to discuss the possible punishment or actions to take after last night's 'incident' as it was being called.

The meeting was being held in the Teachers lounge, a relatively large room that smelled distinctly of coffee, with an ugly brown rug coating the floor. Windows lined the wall opposing the entrance, allowing the light to stream in from outside. Several fluorescent lights further illuminated the area, though a few flickered, surviving on their last legs.

Metal chairs were scattered around the room, as the couches that occupied the lounge were unable to hold all the rooms inhabitants. To say the room felt cramped, especially to Kara and Jack, was an understatement.

Parents from all over Jasper were at the meeting, including Sierra's mom who was, as usual, the most vocal member at the conference. No one had said much else, as she seemed to be the spokesperson for the parents of the town, via some unspoken agreement. And of course, ever since the bus accident all those years ago, she'd been keeping an eye on Jack. The fact that she was only _now_ reacting to his secret being loose was nothing short of a miracle.

That being said, she was now in the middle of a rant about how "dangerous" Jack and Kara was. June sat next to her children, arms crossed and a not so pleased look on her face, "Mrs. Thompson, those aliens would happen to be my children, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to them as if they weren't here," she gestured to Jack and Kara with her hand.

Mrs. Thompson didn't seem the least bit affected by this, "And that's another thing. What were you and Robert _thinking_ when you decided to adopt such a dangerous being! How do you know that more of his kind won't come after him like that Zod character!?" she demanded.

A very low groaning sound emanated from Kara's chair as she glared angrily at the woman, her eyes flashing a dangerous red. She looked about ready to rip Mrs. Thompson apart with her hands. Jack put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked to him with anger. He shook his head at her, and she seemed to calm down somewhat. Now was not the time to lose her temper.

The head of the school board, Mr. Graham, a man with gray hair, a thick build, and a pair of spectacles sitting loosely on his face let out a cough, gaining her attention "That is quite enough Mrs. Thompson, you've made your point," he said, motioning for her to sit back down.

She reluctantly did so, grumbling to herself as she did. Once the woman was seated, Mr. Grahame turned to the Darby's, "Now, in light of recent events Mrs. Darby, the school board has been in debate over whether or not it would be…. safe, for your children to continue to attend public schools,"

June narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean 'safe'? My children are perfectly safe where they are, there isn't anything on this planet that could put them at risk," she said defiantly.

Mr. Grahame shook his head, "Not their safety, but the safety of the students around them. Last night, a… Decepticon, is it?" he asked.

June nodded, confirming his question. He gave a thankful nod in return and continued, "The attack by the Decepticon left the school gym heavily damaged, and put the lives of everyone there at risk. According to reports, he was there in search of your children. Is this true?" he looked to the family with a questioning gaze.

Jack rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Well… yes but you see-"

Mrs. Thompson interrupted him, "And yet you continue to go to this school, knowing that you put the entire student body at-"

"Mrs. Thompson, sit down and stay quiet or so help me I will personally escort you out of the building!" screamed Mr. Grahame, shocking everyone. Apparently he'd grown tired of the woman's ranting along with everyone else, much to their shock. The woman looked at him shocked before slowly sitting back down.

"Thank you," he said, looked to Jack, and motioned with his hand, "Continue Mr. Darby,"

"Knockout-that's the name of the con who came after us- would have attacked us regardless of where we were. The Decepticons don't care about human casualties, even if we weren't here, they would eventually attack normal civilians just for the heck of this," he explained.

He gave him a disbelieving look, "And you're sure of this?" he asked.

Jack nodded, "If you don't believe me, ask any of the Autobots," he said, though he doubted that he would.

Mr. Grahame nodded, "Well, I think I understand the situation now Mr. Darby, thank you," he looked at the assembled parents and board, "We'll continue to discuss this elsewhere, in the meantime, the Darby's shall continue to come to Jasper High,"

Protests erupted from the crowd, parents yelling and pointing accusing fingers at the siblings. It took several moments for the man to calm them, "If it's any help," Jack said, gaining their attention.

"I'll help repair any damage that was done to the wall. It's the least I can do," he told them.

Mr. Grahame smiled, "Thank you Mr. Darby," he looked to the group, "Dismissed,"

_One Week Later, Autobot HQ…_

Ratchet paused as he worked on one of his pieces of equipment that Bulkhead had broken. Again!

"That Wrecker is an insurance hazard." Ratchet muttered. He then reached for another one of his wrenches, his favorite one in fact, the one he liked to throw most. It wasn't where he'd left it.

"That's odd..." he muttered.

He walked into the main area and looked around, he froze.

There, on the couch next to Rafael and Jack, with Miko sat on the other side of him; was Jack's new dog, curled up, and happily gnawing on the wrench while Miko petted him. Already Krypto was starting to get bigger, having grown a good four inches in height over the week.

Still it would have been comical, watching an animal slightly larger than Jack's forearm chewing on something 5 times its size, if at that moment, with one last bite, said animal hadn't bitten it in half.

Ratchet blinked in horror, his optics wide with disbelief and his mouth agape, "I _NEEDED_ That!"

The three children and one dog looked over at him, the little puppy the very picture of innocence as Miko giggled and pulled him into her lap, giving him a hug.

"Good boy!" she said, smiling at him as he sat in her lap.

"Arf!" he barked, Miko gently scratched him between his ears, and the dog licked her nose.

"Miko, don't encourage him!" Jack said as he scooped the dog up in his arms, receiving a happy series of licks.

Once Krypto was through washing his face, Jack tossed the two pieces of wrench over to Ratchet, who had caught them easily, and was now studying the teeth marks, trying to figure out how best to stop the dog from doing that again, before he set about welding the wrench back together.

June, for her part, was both amused by the dog's antics, and a little nervous of them too. Since Jack hadn't moved from the couch, she suspected Kara had been the guilty party who had given Krypto the improvised chew-toy. The fact that a puppy that was less than a month old, and had already shown signs of accelerated growth as Kara had mentioned, and still had been able to chew though something he couldn't even get his jaws around, spoke volumes for what he'd be physically capable of doing when he eventually would _become_ an adult.

That dog would have to learn restraint, just like Jack did.

Fortunately, at least she hoped, Jack and Kara would start his obedience and restraint training soon. Jack had even proposed installing a doggy door in one of the side service entrance doors so they wouldn't have to open the main door every time he wanted to leave the base. But as Kara had pointed out, he was eventually going to be as tall as a human, or rather, the size of a medium-sized horse, so a simple doggy door wouldn't be much use for long. Even so, Jack had reasoned it'd suffice for now.

Today though, June was helping Ratchet, and the other Autobots learn human medical science, so if necessary, they could perform basic first aid in the field without having to bridge Ratchet or herself out to multiple locations, and expend too much Energon.

That was the least of her worries though. Even after the meeting at Jack's high school, The School Board of Governors however, and the PTA committee however, had NOT been so happy about the damage. Some had still wanted Jack and Kara expelled. June had not been happy about that suggestion, she couldn't home-school him, and with end-of-term exams so close, it would be impossible to find another school in time.

Kara though had shrugged off the threat, telling the Principle and the State Superintendent that she already knew all the subjects they were teaching, and that, before she had even reached what they considered 4th Grade, she'd already mastered subjects that were only taught at the best Earth Universities, and the only reason she was even _at_ the school, was on the insistence of her foster mother.

Fortunately...Fowler had been on-hand to backup June, she honestly didn't know what she'd do without that man, he'd saved her son's future, and her daughter's future as well, though Kara would argue hers was never in jeopardy. That had lead to a good long argument between her and June that only Jack had been able to resolve, acting as a mediator between the women.

Jack pointed out that Kara was too well educated for human school to affect her, much to June's annoyance and Kara's happiness, but also pointed out that if she didn't go through school, she'd be unable to get a career and would wind up jobless. He added the fact that human interaction was good for her, and that she'd changed for the better because of it.

June smiled at that memory, her son had shown some of his changes then. He would deny it at every chance, but he really was maturing into a fine young man. She would dare to even compare him to Optimus in how he acted at times.

June's thoughts were interrupted as the sound of the Proximity Alarm caught everyone's attention. Ratchet activated the main screen and switched it to the camera on top of the base. A helicopter could be seen landing, and Agent Fowler emerged from the chopper with several men in tow.

"Agent Fowler. I wonder what he wants no.." Ratchet muttered.

"Who are those people he's with? They look pretty serious," Bulkhead said a little nervously, the fact that Fowler was being accompanied by a man in a smart-looking suit, who looked to be in his mid-60s, had a thinning, slightly grayed hairline and determined expression.

His whole demeanor screamed that screwing with him was a bad idea, and he was being accompanied by what looked to be two aides, and what looked to be a detachment of US Marines guarding him.

Miko blinked as she looked at the screen.

"Dude...that's Ichirō Fujisaki...what the Pit is _HE_ doing here...?"

"Who?" Kara asked as she flew up to the platform.

"The Japanese Ambassador to the US..." Miko said, suddenly looking a little nervous herself. The only reason Ichirō Fujisaki would be here would be to… She locked up, there wasn't… they wouldn't…

Before anyone else could enquire the girl about what was the matter, the lift doors pinged then opened, allowing Fowler and the men who accompanied him to walk out. He was holding some documents of some kind in his hands. His usual cheeriness was gone. His expression was that of a man who was here to deliver bad news. Bad news that clearly he wasn't looking forward to delivering.

His gaze zeroed in on Miko immediately, then switched to the bots, more specifically, Optimus Prime.

"Agent Fowler, what is wrong?" Prime asked, he could tell the Agent was not in a good mood.

"I need to speak with Miko. In private,"

June was already half-way up the stairs to the Platform. She had a pretty good idea what was going on, and if she was right, Fowler would need her in there to help keep Miko's temper in check. That girl was kitten one minute, and a lioness ready to chew your arm off the next.

Fowler turned and looked at her, a small look of relief flashed in his eyes.

"Miss Darby, as the legally recognized majority member of Team Prime, I'm going to need you to accompany us," His gaze then flickered over to Jack and Kara, only widening slightly when he saw Krypto in Jack's lap, who was looking at him with its ears tilted back slightly, and his eyes slightly narrowed.

It was obvious to anyone who'd been around Krypto for any length of time that he did _not _like Fowler or any of the other men who'd invaded his masters home. A low rumbling, too low for anyone but Jack and Kara to hear, emanated from Krypto's chest. Jack immediately started to stroke his dogs head and he calmed slightly, but still kept his iron gaze on Fowler.

"And _no_ eavesdropping," he ordered, before turning towards the office that had recently been remodeled, under Fowler's request. The room was now lined with Sound-proofing materials, which made any eavesdropping theoretically impossible, although Fowler suspected no amount of Soundproofing could stop Jack or Kara from listening if they wanted, or felt the need, to do so. He just hoped they'd respect procedure in this case.

As soon as he, Miko, June, Ichirō Fujisaki and his aides were inside, and the door was closed, everyone took a seat, except Miko, who stood there, glaring at the Ambassador, who gave her a firm look in return.

"Miko..." Fowler began, but the girl cut him off.

"Save it! I _already_ know why he's here." She snapped, tilting her head in the direction of the Ambassador, who's expression hardened even further. If it hardened any further, he'd be liable to be sold off as a statue.

"I'm being deported. Right?" she asked in a dead serious tone.

"Miko Nakadai, due to recent..._incidents_..." the Ambassador said, casting a quick glance at the door that hid the bots and then at June, who raised an eyebrow. "Your parents have requested that we cancel your Student Exchange Visa, and that we escort you back to Tokyo. Immediately. They have also requested that we provide a Military Escort." He finished.

Miko blinked once, "Are you _FRAGGING KIDDING ME?!"_ she screeched.

If the Ambassador was fazed, he didn't show it, in fact, this was just the reaction he'd expected, after looking over Miko's file.

"Your family believes that The United States is no longer a safe place for you, following the alien General Zod's attack, and then the revelation that they have taken to sheltering aliens who are fighting a civil war older than our race, and after the revelation of the other alien and what it is capable of—"

"That 'alien' you're referring to, _happens_ to be my adopted _son._" June growled, her eyes narrowed, letting the man knew she wasn't happy with him.

"—After the revelation of Mr. Darby's existence and what he is capable of, your family feels that it would be best if you were brought home." The Ambassador quickly amended.

Miko snorted, "Jasper is the safest town on Earth."

"And yet," the Ambassador countered, "less than two months ago, it was the battleground of General Zod, his forces and Mr. Darby. Mercifully, casualties were very low in that instance, to say nothing of the poor souls who lost their lives in New York," he ignored the glares from June and Miko and continued.

"But may I remind you, that only a few weeks ago, your friend, one Rafael-san, was nearly killed by exposure to an alien element Agent Fowler's report identified as Dark Energon. Exposure he received because of his association with the Autobots,"

"And may I remind you that it was also the Autobots who _saved his life!_" Miko retorted.

"And as for Jack, he'd never hurt _anyone!_" she continued.

"And yet." Ichirō replied, "Not one _week_ ago, one of these _Decepticons,_ who was identified as Knockout, attacked the Jasper High School, _specifically_ looking for Mr. Darby, and according to some witnesses, his sister as well, both of whom are sitting out there as we speak,"

June bristled, she didn't care who this guy was, no-body spoke ill of her family. No one.

"My point is, they are a target for the Decepticons, as are any humans associated with them."

"If you think shipping me back to Tokyo will keep me safe from the Cons, you're an idiot," Miko snapped, her arms folded over her chest. Ichirō's eyes narrowed, he was starting to lose his patience with the girl.

"The decision has already been made Miko," he replied.

"Why now?" June asked, feeling that she already knew the answer, but she had be sure.

"Hers is not the first case we have had to deal with," Ichirō explained," Ever since the revelations, the Japanese Government has been pulling back all of its citizens. The very day after General Zod's attack, Mr. and Mrs. Nakadai approached the Japanese Embassy and asked us to help get Miko home, it only took us this long because hers was not the only case we had,"

"Then why the military escort?" June asked.

"By request of her parents, to prove they are serious...and to make sure no-one tries to stop us."

"What about her host parents?" June asked, she'd only briefly met them after the revelation of the Cybertronians, which was also when they'd learned the truth about Jack.

"They're being investigated on charges of endangering a Minor and are looking at charges of gross negligence and child endangerment. They'll probably lose their status as suitable caretakers for foreign exchange students, and may even be blacklisted by the Foster Care system for failing to keep Miko 'out of dangerous situations'." Fowler added. June winced, her heart going out to Miko's host parents. Things were about to get very difficult for them very fast.

"We will allow you to say farewell to your friends, and collect whatever material possessions you wish to take back with you." the Ambassador informed Miko.

"Can't you stop this?!" Miko snapped, glaring at Fowler. The man sighed.

"I wish I could Miko, but you're not a US Citizen, and this isn't some terrorist organization we're dealing with, it's your family. We're legally and morally bound to abide by their wishes. I'm sorry."

"FINE!" Miko snapped, she turned and flung open the door and stormed out onto the platform.

Jack, Kara and Raf were still sat on the couch, and the bots were still stood expectantly. The looks on the bots faces was one of concern and confusion, Raf looked worried, she suspected that he'd already figured out what was going on, and what was about to happen. Jack and Kara both had dark looks on their faces, clearly they'd heard everything. Miko couldn't help but smirk a little at that.

Kryptonian hearing trumps soundproof padding every time.

"Arf?" the quizzical bark of Krypto drew her gaze to the adorable little dog, and she couldn't help but smile at him.

"It's ok little guy, I'll be ok." She leaned over and scratched him under his chin.

"Miko?" Bulkhead asked.

She straightened up and sighed, "My parents revoked my Student Visa. I'm being sent back to Tokyo. Today."

"Why?" Raf asked.

"In a nutshell...they don't feel it's safe for me to be here anymore. Only reason this is happening now is because it took the Embassy this long to get through all the other cases they had to deal with following Zod's attack and the revelations about you guys." She added.

"That's ridiculous!" Jack said, a slight rumble echoing through the base. Several of the soldiers looked at him uneasily, shifting their rifles. One look from June immediately caused them to avert their focus off her son.

"Preachin' to the choir Jack, but they've made up their minds. Apparently, they think you and Kara are danger magnets, given after what happened at the school last week. And the knowledge about what you can do...well, they're pretty freaked."

Bulkhead clenched his servos, "They can't do this!" he snapped.

"Actually, they can." Miko growled, her eyes aflame with anger. "They're my parents, and as such, the US Government is obligated to do what they want, in regards to getting me out of the country."

"Wouldn't you be happy to go home?" Ratchet said, Miko's eyes flicked to him.

"Sure, if I knew I was allowed to come _back_ anytime I wanted," her head fell, "But the fact that they've even gone to the trouble of getting military escort proves what they aren't saying."

"Which is?" Arcee asked.

"I'm probably gonna get cut off, ya know, no emails, no phone calls, no contact." She snarled.

Krypto whined, jumping off Jack's lap and running up to her, putting a paw on her leg and looking up at her. Miko leaned over and started to stroke the dog.

"I'm gonna be ok Krypto." She smiled and, Krypto's tail started wagging, happy to be called by his name.

"Look after Bulkhead for me, ok?" she then leaned down and kissed him on the nose, he yipped quietly in return and licked her nose.

Then she stood up and hugged the other three.

"I'm gonna fight this you guys, I'll be back. No-one can hold down a Nakadai."

Jack decided against pointing out the obvious flaw in that logic in this case, since it was her parents that would be "Holding her down" as it were.

It didn't take Miko long to gather her things, she didn't have much on the base, since the rest of her things back at her Host Parents' house had already been collected.

Bulkhead was NOT happy, he paced irritably while Ichirō Fujisaki ironed out some more details with Fowler and June. This wasn't how he'd expected the day to go, even if he knew in his spark that there was nothing he could do. He didn't really blame her parents, there was just no need to alienate her.

"I know you are upset Bulkhead, but we must abide by human law." Optimus consoled.

"I know, I know, it's just..." Bulkhead didn't finish, his vocal processor had seized up, and he felt the lubricant valves in his optic sockets start to open, but he stubbornly canceled the command routine and stopped them.

Fowler came out onto the platform again, looking haggard, Krypto made a slight growling sound in his throat, but calmed as Jack put his arms around him.

As the Ambassador and his envoy approached the elevator as Miko carried what little she had up to the platform, she turned and gave everyone one last look, defiance and anger, but also sadness written on her face.

"I'll be back guys, I promise."

Krypto let out a sad whimper as everyone, minus Fowler, got into the elevator with her, and the doors closed. The helicopter sounded above and took off, the low thrum of the blades quickly fading. Bulkhead turned angrily to Fowler.

"So how are _you_ getting outta here?" Bulkhead ground out.

"Ground bridge." Fowler replied.

"Uh uh fleshie, you're _walking_ back to Washington." Bulkhead growled.

"Bulkhead." Prime chastised gently.

"And what are you still _doing_ here anyway?" Bulkhead asked, not paying attention to Optimus.

Fowler sighed, as he shuffled the one file that was left in his arms, the only one he hadn't given to Ichirō Fujisaki before the man had left.

He looked at Bumblebee, then Raf, then finally back at June. The woman's eyes narrowed, as did the Scout's.

"Actually...I need to talk to Raf too."

The boy grew pale, and Krypto let out another fierce growl, this time everyone heard it, "Easy boy," Jack said, slipping a finger under his collar to keep him in place.

Fowler turned to Raf. "Come on son, you, June and I need to have a talk."

Bee whirred in protest, letting out a few chirps and beeps, getting Raf's attention.

"It's ok 'Bee, really. I'm actually surprised this hasn't happened already." he said as he walked past Jack and Kara, who were still holding Krypto back, the dog snapping his jaws at the man as he passed. The sooner he left, the better.

June gave Bumblebee an apologetic, before escorting Raf into the office.

She knew what was coming.

Once the door was closed, Krypto calmed down and settled into Jacks lap, looking up at the teen with a small whimper, "It's alright Krypto," he said in a soothing voice, "Everything will turn out okay,"

Optimus watched the whole scene unfold with great sadness in his optics. A tap on his shoulder quickly caught his attention, and he looked to see Void with a grim expression on her faceplate, "We need to talk," she stated, "_now!"_

The Prime closed his optics and let out a sigh before nodding and following her off into another hall. He knew that this was coming. Once the two were a fair distance away, though no amount of distance would hide their conversation from their resident Kryptonians, Void turned to Optimus.

"You can't seriously allow them to take away the children, can you?" she demanded, servo's on her hips, "They are far safer with us than they ever would be under human protection," she pointed out.

Optimus looked at her sadly, "Though I am fully aware of this Void, we cannot interfere with the human legal system. We are guests on their world, and therefore cannot break their laws… no matter how much we wish to,"

Void scowled, "Optimus, this is beyond human laws, the children will be at risk!"

Optimus looked in the direction of the main hall, "I do not think so, Void. Even with them separated, their friendships they've formed our strong. No harm will come to them, for now,"

Void regarded the mech she was courting with suspicion before sighing, "Very well Prime, I will respect your decision for now," she strode past him before pointing a single servo at him, "but if any of those children are harmed, I will never forgive you," she growled, and walked off.

"You would not be the first," Optimus said, his faceplate turning downcast as she strode back into the hall.

The two returned as Fowler, June, and Raf emerged from the sound proof room. The boy had a sad look on his face, matched by Jack and Kara's. He looked from them to Bee, and let out a shaky sigh before speaking.

"My parents have filed a restraining order on the Autobots. Once I'm home, you aren't allowed within a mile of me or my family," Raf said, his tiny voice shaking slightly.

The looks of shock on everyone's face only added to the situation. Bee knelt down to eye level with his charge, letting out a bunch of whirrs and beeps, "I know Bee, I don't want to stop seeing you guys either, but… I can't do anything about it. I'm only twelve," he looked down, trembling slightly as everyone looked at him concerned.

Fowler put a hand on the boys shoulder, "Come on son," he said gently, "It's time to go,"

Raf nodded and said his goodbyes to everyone. Most were quick and soft, with two exceptions. The first was Bee, who seemed about ready to break down. The two had spent a good five minutes talking quietly to each other before Raf finally said goodbye. The second, was Jack. The teen hadn't been able to say much, but from the look on his face, and his posture, he looked on the verge of collapse. In a matter of minutes, his only two human friends had been taken from him. Soon he'd be alone again.

Family was different, he wasn't alone in that respect, but Miko and Raf had become an essential part of his life. Without them, it was like a ship without an anchor. He'd be left to drift.

Raf and Fowler walked to the bridge, Raf stopping to look at the bots with a forlorn expression on his face, "I…I'll try and stay in contact… but I don't know if I'll be able to," he said softly, before turning and quickly moving through the bridge.

Everyone watched as the boy disappeared through. Once Raf was gone, Bee sulked off to his room, along with Bulkhead. Starscream walked off into the depths of the base, and Ratchet let his servos hang by his side, staring at the floor with a lost expression.

Jack suddenly stood, "Watch Krypto," he ordered Kara, handing her the puppy, who looked at his master a sad look in his eyes. Jack pet his head briefly before he walked to the elevator.

"Jack," June called softly, causing him to stop, "Where are you going?"

He didn't turn to anyone, "I'm going out," he replied, and stepped into the elevator. As the doors shut, Arcee was able to make out the expression on his face. She closed her optics, suppressing the tears at seeing the pain on his face, wrapping her servos around her arms and walking out of the main hall…

_Tokyo International…_

The private military jet finally came to a halt at the end of a private runway, the door opening and letting out its single passenger. A very irritated, incredibly pissed off, Miko Nakadai. The girl shielded her eyes and scowled as she emerged from the plane and saw her parents waiting for her… at the end of a long procession of soldiers, rifles held at the ready.

Miko inwardly snorted at the escort, if her parents thought this would stop the cons from trying to hurt her, they would be sorely mistaken. Letting out a sigh, she walked down the steps, and onto the tarmac. She ignored the soldiers as she walked up to her parents, glaring at them angrily.

Her parents weren't much taller than her, her father barely breaking 5'6, and the family resemblance was clear. Her mother looked like an older version of her daughter, minus the pigtails and pink highlights. Her black hair was tied up in a bun instead, and she wore business casual.

Her father was a thin man with a balding head and pair of glasses resting on his nose. He wore a more formal business attire, and held himself with an air of strength and confidence.

"Miko," her mom started, "It's good to see you arrived safely,"

Miko glared at her, "I wouldn't be in any danger at all if you hadn't taken me away from Jasper!" she yelled.

Her father scoffed, "Giant metal aliens using the town as a battle ground while a dangerous alien teen masquerades as one of us? Miko, you'll be far safer here,"

Miko narrowed her eyes, "Don't _ever_ talk about my friends that way! You have no idea wha-" she trailed off and her eyes widened as she saw the figure standing on the hangar behind her parents. She quickly tried to brush it off, but they had caught her signs.

They turned around to see Jack standing on a hangar watching them, eyes narrowed. He was dressed in his super suit, and his cape flapped behind him. Miko normally would have made fun of him for wearing it, but right now it fit.

Everyone else let out surprised gasps, and the soldiers raised their rifles at Jack while Miko's mother tried to put herself between Jack and Miko. Miko shoved past her and looked at Jack, who looked back down at her.

His features softened, and he mouthed two words to her.

_I'm sorry._

Without another word, he shot off into the air, shattering the sound barrier as he flew westward, back to America. Miko turned to her parents, who had worried looks on their faces, "That was my best friend," she said happily. Her parents simply looked at the contrail Jack left in shock as he quickly disappeared…

_Gotham City…_

Jack slowly landed on a rooftop overlooking Gotham. He wasn't even sure how he wound up in the hell hole of a city, after he'd made sure Miko made it to Tokyo safely, he'd simply wandered around the country aimlessly. He didn't think, didn't really do anything, just let the realization that his friends had been taken away because of him sink in.

He cursed himself, if he'd been more careful, taken more precautions… His mind went back to what Slade had told him in what felt like a different life now. If he'd left the bots when he had the chance, then they at least could have remained secret. Miko and Raf would still be there, having fun with their guardians.

Sure he'd be alone, but his friends happiness was more important than his own. He clenched his hands, he'd been selfish, and now his world had started to fall apart because of it.

Jacks brooding was interrupted as he heard the sound of someone landing behind him, "Whoever you are," he called out, "Trying to sneak up on a guy with super hearing isn't a smart idea,"

There was silence before a deep baritone voice said, "Ii assume your Jack Darby, also known as Kal-El, or the Superboy?"

Jack turned to face the figure, who was covered in darkness, "How did you-"

"New reports, internet sightings, government data, you're not as hidden as you or Robin would like to think,"

Jack tensed, "How do you know Robin?" he demanded.

"I trained him, he was my partner," the man responded simply.

Jack relaxed slightly, "Who exactly are you?"

The figure emerged from the shadows. He was dressed in dark grey body armor, with a yellow utility belt wrapped around his waist. His gloves and boots were black, and he wore a cape and cowl, the latter of which had two pointed "ears" atop it. A bat insignia was visible on his chest, and his eyes where pure white.

Jack narrowed his eyes and saw the mask peel away, revealing the face of playboy billionaire and industrialist Bruce Wayne, "Mister Wayne, you have an odd hobby,"

Wayne smirked, "You peaked,"

Jack shrugged, "I like to know who I'm talking too,"

"Anyway," Jack continued, "What does one of the richest men in the world want with me?"

"It's not Bruce Wayne that's interested in you Superboy," he replied.

Jack arched a brow, "Really?" he asked, unconvinced.

"I am, Bruce Wayne and I are different people whenever the mask is on,"

Jack crossed his arms, "Alright, then what do _you _want with me?"

"To offer a word of advice,"

Jack arched a brow, and he elaborated, "The world leaders, the public, sees you as a threat, a danger. They have a right too. You are the single most powerful being on this planet, you need to prove that you aren't a threat,"

Jacks shoulders slumped, "And how am I supposed to do that?" he asked.

He walked to the edge of the building, looking over Gotham, "When the time comes, you'll know,"

He raised a gun of sorts, and fired it, a long grapple attaching itself to the opposite building, "Wait!" Jack said as he was about to disappear.

He stopped and looked to him, "If you're not Bruce Wayne, who are you?"

He looked back to the building, "I'm Batman,"

**A/N: BAM! How many of you were honestly expecting ANY of this? Props to Guardian of Azarath for helping me with parts of this chapter. And as a warning to all, the chapters following may be depressing or hair tearingly infuriating. Let me know what you think in the reviews of this chapter. And Remember, PM me with questions, comments, or ideas, I'm always listening. And to answer the question I am undoubtedly going to get, no I am not having Batman make any major appearances in the story, only minor cameos. Do not ask me too, as I will not change my mind on this. Bye!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Falling

_Jasper High the following day…_

Jack looked over the school cafeteria, at all the groups of students chatting away with their friends. They all had such simple worries, simple problems, and most importantly, friends to talk to them about. Jack closed his eyes and sighed, a lonely ache in his chest as he sat at an empty table. His sister had offered to use her lunches to help tutor some of the students in math class, so he sat at lunch alone.

Miko was safe at Tokyo, for now, and Raf had had his classes transferred. He and Jack no longer shared a single class, and he wasn't even sure they had the same lunch period anymore. He'd lost his first real friend, and once more was sitting alone at school. Just like old times.

Jack was about to start eating when a familiar face entered the cafeteria. Raf stood uneasily with a lunch in hand as he entered, looking around nervously. He spotted Jack and immediately made his way over sitting in front of his friend, still looking around nervously.

"I can't stay for long Jack, my older brothers and sisters were practically ordered to keep me under close supervision and away from you," Raf quickly explained, and Jack nodded.

"That bad, huh?" he asked.

"Worse," Raf said, pushing his glasses back up as they came loose.

"They seem to think you and the bots are going to get me hurt again. Especially after they found out about the incident with Megatron," Jack frowned at the memory of what old king con had done to his friend.

"Anyway to change their minds?" Jack asked. Raf shook his head.

"Not unless you managed to get a not from the president herself telling them it was safe for me to hang out at base," he hung his head.

"I miss Bee,"

Jack looked at the sad expression on Raf's face and felt his own heart sink. He wanted to say something that would comfort him, but Bee had taken his disappearance as badly as he had, if not worse. He had spent the rest of the day sulking, and refused to leave his quarters for the rest of the day.

Still, he had to try, "We'll find a way to get things back to normal Raf, I promise," Jack said, smiling weakly at his friend.

Raf perked up slightly at this, before a voice called him, "Rafael, get away from him this instant!"

Jack turned to see a teenage girl, a senior, with brown short cropped hair and a light complexion motioning for his friend to come over to her. She was Samantha Esquivel, Raf's oldest sibling, and from what Jack had seen, the most controlling.

She narrowed her brown eyes when Raf made no sign of moving, looking down at the floor instead. She stormed over to him and grabbed him by the arm, wrenching him from the seat, "You know what mama and papa told you, he's too dangerous to be around!"

Raf gave Jack a helpless look, and Jack simply looked down, a sad expression plastered across his face. Raf suddenly steeled himself and glared at his sister, "He's not dangerous, he's my friend, and I don't care what our parents say. They don't know him,"

Jack looked up surprised at Raf's sudden determination, he'd yet to see the prodigy stand up to _anyone _older than him. And it was short lived, as Samantha proceeded to smack Raf upside the head, cursing and ranting at him in Spanish. She lasted about five seconds before Jack had his hand clamped on her arm, ripping her away from Raf with ease.

She looked up at him with shock, and saw the red in his eyes, "Say whatever you want about me, I'll handle it. Raf is your family, treat him with respect and care," he shoved her away, "He's family, be lucky that your family is still alive,"

He turned to Raf, "I'll let the others at base know that you miss them," he promptly turned on his heel and walked off, leaving the two alone as he exited the cafeteria…

_Autobot HQ, one month later…_

Ratchet was stood at the main terminal, going over the team's files as the rest of the base was gathered in the hall, waiting to watch the Genesis project in action over the TV.

According to Rafael, the humans were attempting to develop a new High Altitude launch system for their primitive space craft.

He snorted to himself in amusement.

The very fact those so-called Spacecraft even made into orbit was a miracle, but still, he had to admire the determination and workmanship of the humans. Especially given the tech they had to work with.

Even very early Cybertronian space craft had been primitive compared to the Ark and the Nemesis, even though the latter was the butchered remains of Trypticon, or at least, some Autobots on the Ark had reasoned as much as the Decepticons had chased their last ship from Cybertron.

Apparently, the _Genesis_ Shuttle, a smaller, manned variant of NASA's regular manned Shuttles, was set to be launched from the hull of a modified 777 Jet Liner, the only type of aircraft big enough to carry it.

The event was going to be televised live, because if this new delivery system proved viable, it would cut the spending of all the world's currently running Space Programs, and would open up new avenues of Satellite delivery systems.

Everyone was in the base at the moment, including Fowler, well, except for Rafael and Miko, who had gone back to their families, watching with eager anticipation. Still, a sad somber attitude had settled over the base since the two had left. Bumblebee and Bulkhead were still upset by the absence of their charges, but as Fowler had said, it was what their respective families wished, and they were legally and morally obligated to follow them.

Though oddly enough, the humans weren't the only ones not at base. According to Kara, she'd last seen Jack taking Krypto to a dog park to help him socialize with other dogs, though it wasn't easy, considering the War Hound's Labrador size and somewhat fierce some appearance. It made people nervous about approaching him, despite Jack's assurances he was as harmless as a puppy.

Though June, Arcee and Kara suspected that his trip to the park also had to do with his two best _human_ friends, and the first friends he'd really had, being taken from him because their families didn't understand the bond they'd formed.

Ratchet still wasn't too happy with Krypto chewing his favorite wrench in half when he'd still been relatively small. Add to the fact he might have made an enemy in the dog was also a little unsettling.

It all started after a particularly snappy retort from Arcee during a recent conversation, he'd tossed another wrench at her, only for Krypto to leap into the air and catch it in his jaws, and promptly bite that one in half too as soon as his paws touched the floor, he'd then started growling at Ratchet, looking ready to rip the medic apart.

It had taken both Jack and Kara to calm him down, and afterward, Kara had explained that War Hounds were not only fiercely loyal to and very protective of their Masters, but also their Master's family...and chosen mate.

This little fact had caused some awkward embarrassment for Jack and Arcee, and June had given the two a funny look, which had caused Jack to go pale. Though in the end nothing came of it, it had been a funny situation for the remnants of Team Prime.

Arcee had switched on the news channel that was covering the event. The screen showed a woman in her mid 20s with shoulder length red hair and bright blue eyes, looking very professional.

"_Good afternoon, I'm Lana Lang, reporting live from NASA control here in Washington, where, in just a few moments, we'll be covering the launch of NASA's new Genesis class Shuttle craft," _Half of the screen was suddenly filled with a live feed of the 777, and everyone could clearly see the shuttle on its back.

"Impressive." Optimus observed.

_The report continued__ "This particular Shuttle is smaller than its larger cousins, and is designed to be launched from a High Altitude Mobile Platform, a modified Boeing 777 Jet. We're now going to try and show a live feed from one of the F-22 Fighters escorting the plane."_

"The shuttle's mounted on four jacks that are locked in place, they'll release the shuttle when they fire the main thrusters." Kara explained.

"Someone's done their homework." Fowler smiled in approval. Kara just shrugged.

"I still can't believe Miko's gonna miss this..." Bulkhead lamented. Bee whirred his own agreement.

"Relax Bulk, I'm sure Miko will be watching from Tokyo." Arcee said, trying to comfort her friend.

"And Raf is probably watching at home too," Kara said to Bee.

On the large monitor, which Ratchet had switched over to the news channel for the Bots to more easily watch, Miss Lang was again continuing with her coverage, _"I have with me General Bryce who is supervising the Military Escort for the flight, General, what are your thoughts on this project? And what do you believe the benefits will be if it succeeds?"_

On the screen, General Bryce stepped into view and cleared his throat, "_Well, Miss Lang, I believe the Project is a step in the right direction. We need a faster Launch system not only for Satellites but manned Space-craft as well, as well as orbital weapons platforms. Namely to allow better response times to any kind of threats that might crop up."_

"_You mean the Decepticons?"_ Lana asked.

The General nodded, _"As well as any other potential threats."_

June's eyes narrowed, as did Kara's and Arcee's.

"And just _WHAT_ did he mean by _THAT?"_ June snapped, folding her arms, casting a glance of Fowler who winced at the General's words.

"As you can imagine, Zod's little fiasco got everyone scared, then the President was forced to make Cybertronians public knowledge, not to mention footage from Jack's fight with Zod's people got out online before we could stop it, and then there was that bank robbery he stopped..." The looks from the females was enough to get him to move on to the point.

"My point is, there are people far higher up than me in the Chain of Command who are scared of him. Very scared. And yes, they know about Kara as well, the papers I filled out naturally got passed up after I'd filed them, it didn't take them long to connect the dots,"

"Afraid? Are you kidding!" Arcee snapped.

Fowler sighed, and explained. "Jack and Kara are, as of right now, two of the most powerful organics' on Earth, as close to Gods as flesh and blood creatures can get. We threw our best ordinance at Zod and his people, and they weren't even scratched." He paused, considering his next words carefully, considering one of the said beings was in the room with him, and giving him a very scary look.

"As I said when I had to pull Raf and Miko out of here, there are those in Government, not just in America but all over the world, that are suspicious. There are those in our own government for instance, that are calling for Jack and Kara to be put under 24 hour surveillance and have their movements tracked, and even restricted."

June narrowed her eyes again.

"Why not just throw them in prison while they're at it!" she snarled.

Fowler raised his hands to placate the woman, he'd seen the infamous Darby wrath many times, and never wanted to be on the receiving end of it, "Your kids might have their detractors, but like I said, they've also got their supporters, unfortunately, most of those aren't where it really matters when it comes to these kinds of things."

"We WILL prove them wrong. That we can be trusted." Kara said firmly.

"I know!" Fowler said, trying to keep everything from boiling over.

Suddenly, the entire base went dark, and the monitors shut down.

"What the hell?!" Fowler asked.

"Ratchet, what was that?" Optimus asked.

The CMO's face was twisted in confusion.

"Some sort of Electromagnetic Pulse, but with the systems down there's no way to tell where it came from, or how wide-spread its effect was."

After a few minutes of fumbling with the terminal, the lights flickered back on. The news screen turned on too, to a horrible sight…

_NASA Control, Washington._

The entire room suddenly went black as all the lights, computers, monitors and radar screens went black.

"What the _hell?!_" General Bryce started in alarm, one of the NASA techs typed at her keyboard frantically.

"Everything's dead! We've lost all power!" she reported.

"How?!" the mission Director barked.

"Sir, that was some kind of EMP, most of the country is down, we've lost Uplink, Satellite feeds, Net access, everything from here to the mid-west is down!" one of the other Techs cried.

Bryce swallowed, he _really_ hoped this wasn't the Decepticons, trying to prove a point.

"_Were they watching the broadcast?"_ he thought, then another thought struck him, "_The plane!"_

"Get Radar and Comm's. back online! We need to tell them to abort the launch!" he ordered.

As he'd finished saying this, the lights and screens started to come back on.

"Sir! We've got Comms back!" the first Tech said, as the distress call came over the radio.

"_...Mayday! Mayday! This is Genesis Flight! We have suffered multiple System Failures! We are un-able to disengage docking clamps, and we are still in Count Down to Engine Burn! Emergency Disengage Systems are not responding! We are attempting a Cold Restart!"_

Lana turned to her Cameraman, Jimmy Olsen, who checked his equipment and then nodded. They were back on the air.

"Genesis Flight, this is control! Abort Launch! Repeat! Abort the launch!" the second Tech said.

There was static over the radio for a few seconds, before the voice of the NASA pilots aboard the shuttle and the Air Force pilots aboard the Jet came over the radio.

"_Negative control! We cannot Abort! The countdown timer for Engine Burn is still active! We can't stop the Ignition!"_ came the voice of the NASA pilot.

The Jet's pilot spoke next.

"_We have malfunction in release Mechanism! The clamps won't fully disengage!"_

Bryce felt a chill run down his spine. If the Shuttle's boosters fired while it was still attached to the plane...the plane would either be ripped in two, or sent into orbit...

He picked up his cell phone and checked it, and to his annoyance, he found it was dead. The EMP must have fried the battery. He let out a grunt of disgust and tossed it on the table, looking at the tech's.

"Where are they now?" he demanded.

Another technician, a man in his late 30s, checked his screen, "They're over the Atlantic sir, they're trying to turn around, but that Shuttle tied to their back makes turning difficult."

"How long until Genesis' thrusters fire?" he was praying it was a long time.

"About 50 seconds sir! They're already implementing emergency procedures, but with the shuttle still tied to them, there's not much they can do."

Lana turned back to Jimmy, her eyes wide with panic, "This...this is Lana Lang, reporting live from NASA Control Headquarters, where we've just recovered from a massive power failure caused by what seems to have been an EMP, the Genesis Shuttle has failed to disengage the clamps holding it in place, and the Pilots can't shut down the engines that are set to fire less than a minute..." she paused, as a camera feed came through from one of the F-22s, and she knew it was being relayed to anyone who was watching...

_Tokyo, few moments earlier._

At her home in Tokyo, Miko sat in her room, still depressed and angry as the Pit. She was separated from her friends, from her Guardian and Partner, and she HATED it.

She was still smoldering with her parents, who had also apparently laid into her Host Parents for failing to keep her out 'harmful and extremely dangerous situations', or so her family had put it.

She snorted. They had _nooo_ idea what dangerous really was. But as she'd tried to explain to Fowler when he'd first told her what was going to happen, and like she'd told her parents when she'd arrived at Tokyo International, Jasper was the safest place on earth.

But they hadn't listened. In fact, the very idea that Jasper was home to not only the Autobots, but two teenagers with powers rivaling those of gods, well, that particular fact was what had got them rattled. Of course Jack appearing on the hangar hadn't helped, but Miko was thankful for it. Jack was still watching over her, keeping her and her family safe.

Much to Miko's anger though, was that part of the stipulation her parents had made was that she severe all contact with Team Prime and the Darby family. Her phone had been confiscated the very instant she'd got off the plane, and both Jack's, and June's emails had been blocked by their ISP, on request. She could still email Raf, but apparently, his family had pulled a similar stunt.

She'd also learned something else that made her blood boil: Her parents had asked the Japanese Ambassador to make arrangements to have a restriction zone placed on her address. Simply put: Her friends had been slapped with the mother of all Restraining Orders.

The communications blackout was just the first part, she'd later learned that no member of Team Prime, nor any of the three Darby's, were allow within 10 miles of her home address. Raf apparently hadn't been included in that order, but, she reckoned, the odds of his family letting him leave the country were about as good as Megatron holding a Sunday Mass at church.

Oh yes. Mt Nakadai was still simmering.

Sighing in frustration as she idling stroked one of her cats who was curled up next to her, she flipped on the news, and switched it to an American station, which her parents had subscribed to before she'd gone on the exchange program, to help her learn English. Either they kept it to try and appease to Miko, or had simply forgotten to get rid of it. Miko still wasn't happy with them regardless.

The report started up, to something she hadn't been expecting as the reporter appeared on screen with a grim look on her face, "_This...this is Lana Lang, reporting live from NASA Control Headquarters, where we've just recovered from a massive power failure caused by what seems to have been an EMP, the Genesis Shuttle has failed to disengage the clamps holding it in place, and the Pilots can't shut down the engines that are set to fire within a minute..."_

"Oh scrap..." she muttered. She'd heard about the Genesis Shuttle project, and had been mildly interested, but now, she was watching with rapt attention. Little did she know, her parents were also watching the news channel in the kitchen below her.

She was suddenly worried for the Pilots and the passengers on board the plane, her fingers digging into the couch arms. She quickly calmed down though, she knew Jack and Kara were on the case...

_Jasper, Esquivel residence._

Raf was not happy. Not happy at all. Not only had he been cut off from Bumblebee, someone who he considered a better brother than any of his real older brothers (something he'd never admit to their faces), but also Ratchet, Jack, Kara and June.

Their phone numbers had been blocked by their provider, as had Jack's and June's email accounts. Although his family, and their providers, didn't know exactly what kind of Tech Genius they had under their roof. This was the kid who'd gone to-to-toe with the Decepticon Spy Master, in a virtual sense, this was the kid who could hack through most Firewalls in minutes...getting around email lockouts would be something he'd be able to pull off in his sleep.

Though Fowler had warned him not to try it, as his activities were now being monitored to make sure neither Jack nor Kara attempted to make contact, or vice a versa, Raf had been understandably upset at that, and to his credit, Fowler had done his best to comfort the boy, but his hands had been tied, and he'd promised, off-the-record, to help him keep in touch with them discreetly, when he could.

He'd also learned that his family had attempted to impose a restraining order on all three of the Darby's, but it hadn't worked, since Jack and Kara were both still required to attend school, and so was Raf, and Jasper was such a small town, there wasn't another high-school for hundreds of miles.

And so, his older siblings, those still attending the school, had been ordered by their parents to watch him like Hawks. They'd also asked the school to completely re-arrange his time-table, so now he had no classes with either of them. The incident between Jack and his older sister was the last time he'd been able to talk with his friend, and it got to him.

It didn't help that he'd also lost all contact with Miko, her family had apparently slammed on the shackles the instant she'd got back to Tokyo, and since he hadn't heard from her since she'd been sent home, he assumed they'd imposed a communications blackout on her.

As he reflected, he idly turned on the news channel to check up on the progress of the Genesis shuttle, when all of a sudden, his TV went dead, at first, he thought it was a power cut, but as he looked out the window, he saw several cars were slowing to a stop, the drivers frantically applying the brakes as their engines cut out without warning. He also heard his family reacting to the sudden power loss.

Of course, he realized what had happened almost immediately as soon as he saw the cars stop. An Electromagnetic Pulse. A powerful one, then he turned back to his TV as it flickered back on and he heard Lana Lang's panicked voice.

The Plane was in trouble. He didn't know where Jack and Kara were, but he prayed to god they at least were listening.

_Jasper, dog park._

Jack was sat on one of the benches, feeling miserable. Ever since his little trip to Second Earth, he figured the universe had it in for him. Of course, that hadn't changed even after they'd got back, and it had just hit home harder when Raf's and Miko's families had finally said "Enough is enough".

He still couldn't believe Miko's parents had requested a full military escort for her, but he supposed it was to drive home the point that they were serious.

He hadn't had much contact with Raf either, not since his parents had basically called an intervention, and his siblings went full military guard. The boy _always_ had an older sibling around him, to keep Jack or Kara away. Though it seemed that some closer to Raf's age were reluctant to do so.

He figured that he was just lucky his mother hadn't been fired after his secret had gotten out, but he suspected the only reason she hadn't, was because the Hospital couldn't _afford_ to let anyone go, they were greatly understaffed as it was.

So here he sat, with Krypto, idly sharing a bottle of water with him. He'd heard about the Genesis flight, but if he had to be honest, he wasn't really in the mood.

Suddenly, Krypto paused and growled. Jack looked down at him.

"What is it boy?" the dog whined. And then he felt it.

Jacks enhanced senses let him feel the EMP washed over him like a tidal wave, and the hairs and the back of his neck stood on-end. He looked around as several cars suddenly ground to a halt, their engines going dead. People started gathering, looking around with confused looks on their faces.

"That's odd," Jack started, "an EMP that powerful could only have come from a—" he was cut off as all the sounds around him were suddenly muted, and all he could hear was a static filled radio transmission.

"_...Mayday! Mayday! This is Genesis Flight! We are un-able to disengage docking clamps, and we are still in Count Down to Engine Burn! Emergency Disengage Systems are not responding! We are attempting a Cold Restart!"_

Jack looked down at Krypto, who looked back up at him and whined again, fidgeting in place.

"_Genesis Flight, this is control! Abort Launch! Repeat! Abort the launch!"_

There was static over the radio for a few seconds, before the voice of the NASA pilots aboard the shuttle and the Air Force pilots aboard the Jet came over the radio.

"_Negative control! We cannot Abort! The countdown timer for Engine Burn is still active! We can't stop the Ignition!"_ came the voice of the NASA pilot.

The Jet's pilot spoke next, "_We have malfunction in release Mechanism! The clamps won't fully disengage!"_

Jack's face set, he looked up at the sky, looking East, trying to get a fix on the 777's position.

"Krypto. I need you to get back to the Base, and wait for me there, can you do that?" the dog yipped, Jack looked down at him and smiled, taking a brief moment to pet his head.

"Good boy, I'll be back soon."

He leapt into the air, abandoning his civilian clothes as he gained a good vantage point over the town, trying to pinpoint the direction of the plane. He heard the frantic voices of the pilots in the east, and turned in that direction. It was a long ways away, discretion would only slow him down.

Without a second thought, he shot off towards the plane, quickly hitting Mach 7 as he left a thin contrail behind him. Didn't matter if people were afraid of him or not. Jack was _not _going to let that plane crash…

_Genesis Shuttle cockpit, 40 seconds earlier._

Former Air Force Test Pilot and currently contracted NASA Test Pilot Hal Jordan frantically beat on the controls, trying to stop the countdown, but it was no good. The timer was locked, and he was seriously kicking himself for ever letting himself sign that damn contract.

"Crap!" he snarled, venting his frustration, "Damn thing won't shut down! And the clamps are still locked!"

"I'm gonna try a Cold Restart." His fellow test pilot and wife of 3 months, Carol Ferris ne Jordan said, keeping her emotions in check better than her air-head of a husband.

"_Genesis Flight, this is control! Abort Launch! Repeat! Abort the launch!"_ someone said over the radio.

"God damned idiots! What do they think we're _TRYING_ to do?!" Hal snapped.

"Hal!" Carol snapped, before clicking on the radio.

"Negative control! We cannot Abort! The countdown timer for Engine Burn is still active! We can't stop the Ignition!"

The Jet's pilot spoke next.

"_We have malfunction in release Mechanism! The clamps won't fully disengage!"_ Carol and Hal looked at each other, this wasn't good.

If the clamps didn't disengage before the engines fired, they'd either take half the plane's canopy with them, or the whole plane, and those things were not built for 0 atmosphere, and they'd never survive re-entry. It would take a miracle for them to survive…

_Aboard the plane..._

Budding reporter and Kansas country farm boy Clark Jonathan Kent sat in one of the central rows over the right wing, giving him a clear view out over the wing, and the Atlantic below them.

He was on this fight to help Lana cover the story, but while she was on the nice, safe ground, he was stuck here on the plane, and ever since the lights had flickered with that EMP, he just _knew_ something was going to go wrong.

"_What the hell was Parry thinking?!"_ he thought.

"Nice view, isn't it." Came the slight baritone voice of Billionaire Playboy and industrialist Bruce Wayne, who was sat next to him.

For a guy in his late 30s, early 40s, Mr. Wayne, last surviving member of the Wayne family, sole heir to the Wayne Fortune, and CEO of Wayne Enterprises, who had helped finance and develop Genesis, was in remarkably good shape. His arms and torso were thickly built, and portrayed the image of a guy who worked out A LOT. Clark felt for sure he was packing a six-pack under that suit of his.

"_Where does a guy like Bruce Wayne find time to work out?"_ Clark thought.

"I guess." he replied, turning to shake the man's hand.

"Clark Kent, Daily Planet, I'm helping my partner cover this story, she's on the ground right now."

"Nice to meet you Mister Kent." Bruce said in his deep gentle voice, as he shook the reporter's hand. The guy had quite a strong grip for a Billionaire who supposedly spent all of his time in board meetings.

"So what do you think caused that EMP?" Clark asked, Bruce shrugged.

Before the billionaire could reply however, there was a sudden burst of acceleration, and everyone was thrown back into their seats, the poor stewardess who had been standing at the front of the plane, just in front of the door that led to the cockpit, was thrown down the aisle, screaming.

As the G-Forces increased, so did the angle of the plane, and as the flailing woman reached their row, the hands of Bruce Wayne shot out and latched onto the woman's wrist, somehow maintaining a grip.

Bruce grunted, "Give me your other hand!" he ordered. The woman nodded frantically and practically flung her hand into his. With a loud grunt, Wayne managed to heave her into his seat on his lap, just in time too.

The entire plane shook as the force of the acceleration continued to increase. Loose items were flung everywhere as the plane rumbled with tremendous turbulence. It was like being in a hurricane of miscellaneous items. Clark grit his teeth and clenched his eyes as a purse slapped into his face.

"_That's it. If I get out of this, I'm sticking to ground reporting..."_ Clark thought.

_Shuttle Cockpit_

Both Hal and Carol were forced back into their seats by the force of the primary engine firing. They'd both trained for this, so the acceleration and disorientation it would cause wasn't anything new. They just weren't supposed to be taking a packed Passenger plane into orbit with them.

"We're still connected!" Hal yelled over the noise of the thrusters and the groaning of the magnetic clamps. How they hadn't been ripped off the fuselage was beyond him. But they still had a problem, even if the plane survived it's trip into orbit, the minute they went into re-entry, both the plane and the shuttle would be incinerated.

"Main Escape Burn in 10 seconds!" Carol yelled. Hal winced, that...was bad. The engines that had just fired were meant to get them into a higher altitude, and away from the plane, the Main Escape Burn, which was meant to propel them to escape velocity, would be what pushed them into orbit.

He didn't want to know what was happening to the plane they were attached to. No doubt burn from the thrusters had already crippled the plane's tail section, so even IF they separated now, the plane wouldn't be able to fly, and at these speeds, far beyond what commercial airliners were designed to fly at, it probably wouldn't make it to the ground in one piece anyway.

_NASA flight control, Washington._

"They're pulling away from their escort sir!" one of the techs reported, his face pale..

"I can see that!" Bryce snapped, the large screen, which the cameraman, he believed his name was Olsen, was also focused on, showed the live feed of the Shuttle's Primary engines that were meant to get it away from the Plane before firing the Escape Burn, and were now dragging the larger aircraft along with it. The Plane's vertical tail fin was completely engulfed in fire, completely destroying the hydraulics and rudder it contained.

Even if the shuttle ripped free… there was no guarantee that the plane would be able to stay stable in re-entry.

"God help them."

_Autobot HQ_

"_God help them."_

Everyone watched the main monitor that showed the live feed of plane being dragged closer and closer to low orbit.

General Bryce's words summed up words of everyone's thoughts.

June had her hands over her mouth, her eyes were wide, a look of horror written all over her face. Kara was wide-eyed as well.

Optimus was subdued, his Spark ached for the lives aboard both of the aircraft, and he hoped that somehow, they'd regain control, but even as they watched, there was another burst from the shuttle's engines, and what was left of the Plane's main tail fin was ripped away in a shower of flame and shrapnel.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen..."_Lana spoke, she looked as white as a bed sheet, her eyes were wide with fear, she had the look in her eye of someone who knew they were about to watch a lot of innocent people die.

"_Wait!"_ came the voice of the pilot over the radio, _"What the HELL is THAT?!"_

Everyone paused and focused on the screen…

_NASA Control, Washington._

"What is it?!" Bryce demanded.

"SIR! We've got a radar contact! Closing from the West! FAST!"

"HOW fast?" Bryce almost yelled.

"Mach 7, no 8! _No! 9! No..._ Jesus..._Mach 15?!_" the tech gasped, hardly able to believe what her instruments were telling her.

"Jimmy! We getting this?!" Lana snapped at Jimmy who had turned and focused his camera on the Radar...that showed a very fast moving blip moving across the screen towards the Shuttle and plane.

"Yeah Lana, I'm getting it...But I'm not believing it..."

_Autobot HQ_

Everyone was staring at the screen as it now focused on the radar readout.

Arcee was grinning, her spark filled with pride as she watched the blip flash across the radar, so fast, the primitive scanners were barely able to track him.

"Go get 'em Superboy,"

Optimus felt a surge of pride in his spark at Arcee's words. Of course it was obvious who and what the blip was, it was just that hearing Arcee saying drop the point home all the more.

"Come on Kal, you can do this," Kara said, her voice equally full of pride.

"Godspeed son." Fowler said, awed at what he was seeing.

_Tokyo, Nakadai residence._

"Wahoo! Go Jack!" Miko yelled, pumping her fist in the air, not caring the least if her parents heard her. Of course, they were just as enthralled by what they were watching. Maybe even more so.

_Jasper, Esquivel Residence._

Rafael laughed as he watched the news feed, his heart swelling with pride for his friend. He knew that Jack would show up, his friend wouldn't let these people down.

"Go Jack." He said. "Bring them home."

_Unknown location…_

Malthanis paused his work on his new base of operations, and looked up to see a flaming trail illuminating the sky. He was reminded of the fiery entrance that a fallen angel would make as they fell from the heavens. He knew it was not so, for he was the only angel in this world.

It was that new shuttle program he'd heard of, and if this was anything to guess by, things were going wrong. He wanted to go up and help, but he feared he would not be fast enough to catch the flaming projectile.

A thin contrail appeared behind it, and the angel smiled to himself, "Good luck, Kal-El of Krypton."

_Somewhere over the Atlantic._

Jack narrowed his eyes as he channeled more energy into his flying, he wasn't quite sure how fast he was going but he knew he'd easily catch up with the crippled plane. Besides, it wasn't like it was hard to find. The roar of the shuttle's engines and the fire and smoke trail they left were a good giveaway.

Looking over the situation as he approached, still about 5 miles out, he could see even from this distance that the magnetic clamps had been disengaged, but they had been polarized by the EMP, so no matter how many times the crew tried to unlock them, it wouldn't have worked.

"_Ok, first thing is first Darby, get that shuttle off the plane."_ As he closed on the plane, he knew he had to act fast, they were already leaving the atmosphere.

As he approached the tail section of the plane, he could see the damage. The main fin and rudder were incinerated, the shuttle's engine having practically melted them into slag.

"Scrap." Jack muttered, that was going to make getting the plane down very difficult, but first thing was first, he had to get the shuttle off. Even over the roar of the engine, he could hear the passengers and crew onboard the plane, somewhere crying, many were praying, saying what they believed to be their last goodbyes.

"Not if _I_ can help it!" Jack growled as he darted past the plane and maneuvered himself in front of the Shuttle, but below its cockpit, so neither of the two flight crews would see him.

_Onboard the plane..._

Clark Kent gripped the armrests of his seat, there wasn't really much more he COULD do, the G-forces his body was under wouldn't allow it. Baggage compartments and luggage were still flying everywhere, people were yelling, crying, most were praying, but the poor Stewardess in Bruce's arms was part of the second group. She'd long since buried her face in the Billionaire's shoulder and was crying her heart out.

Clark looked at the man's face, shocked to see it was strangely calm and passive, in fact, throughout all of this fiasco, he and Bruce seemed to have been the only ones who had kept relatively calm, and in Bruce's case, eerily so. The man's face was completely passive, as if the concept of death was nothing new to him, as if he faced mortal danger to his person every single night.

"_It'd have to be at night, after all, he spends all day at the office, right?"_

Then..._something_ compelled him to look to his right, out the small window over the wing, and he noticed the sky was getting darker, and that meant only one thing: They were about to leave the atmosphere. Clark wasn't an expert on planes, but even he knew that jet liners weren't built for space flight.

"_Well, that's not good."_ He thought. Then he saw it. A red-blue blue shot over the wing so fast he would have missed it if he'd blinked.

He quickly looked back at Bruce, and saw the man was looking out the window, as was the Stewardess, who's eye were wide with shock. Bruce's face on the other hand, was set and firm, a calculating, analyzing expression on his face.

_They_ had seen it too.

"_What the HELL was—"_

_Thud. Thud._

The dull, but clearly audible thuds from the ceiling drew his attention upwards, around him, other passengers were draw to look up as well, most with looks of confusion, some with looks of fear.

_Thud._

_Thud._

There it was again, further down this time...a pattern...almost like...

"Footsteps?!" one of the passengers asked allowed.

Someone was _walking_ on the fuselage!?

_Outside the Plane._

Standing on the roof of the plane, Jack braced himself, his hands against the underside of the shuttle. The air turbulence, which was getting less and less as the atmosphere got thinner, was of no consequence to him. Taking a deep breath, he tensed his muscles and pushed upwards, struggling briefly against the magnetized locks.

With a sound of clicking metal parts and grinding magnets, the shuttle's supports suddenly came free. Smiling, Jack lifted off from the fuselage and started to carry the shuttle away from the plane. He grinned as he heard the voices of the pilots in both craft.

"_What the hell?! The locks disengaged!"_

"_Hal! We're loose!"_

"_Yeah, but how? The clamps were still locked."_

"_Who gives a crap! Let's just get this thing away from the damn Plane!"_ the woman snapped.

Jack smiled to himself as he continued to carry the shuttle away from the plane...

_Inside the plane's cockpit._

The two pilots exchanged relieved and awed looks. Their instruments showed that the locks had disengaged, but they hadn't been the ones who had done it.

"Control...Genesis is free...I repeat...Genesis is free...The locks somehow disengaged."

"Chris." The co-pilot said

The pilot looked up from his instruments and stopped, his breath catching in his throat.

The view ahead of him was absolutely beautiful. Half of the window was taken up by the slow curvature of the blue planet below them, and above it, the, black star-studded backdrop of space. It was then that he noticed his checklist clipboard and pen were floating off of the control board in front of him. How they hadn't fallen to the floor during the flight he didn't know.

He then saw the shuttle pulling away, and, if he hadn't thought he was half delusional from shock, he could have sworn he saw a figure carrying it. A figure dressed in a dark-blue bodysuit and red cape, with red boots and arm gauntlets.

But that was crazy, he was seeing things. Right?

"Uh...Control...we're in orbit..."

_NASA Control_

The entire room let out a collective sigh of relief when the pilot of the 777 relayed the fact that the Shuttle had somehow come free, and was freely flying away from the plane.

"_Uh...control...we're in orbit..."_ came the pilot's awe-struck voice.

"Holy shit..." the cameraman declared.

Bryce had to agree. The fact that the plane didn't decompress in total vacuum was nothing short of a godsend, but _what_ had separated the Shuttle? Bryce suddenly had an idea, his mind flashing back to that first meeting with the boy those months ago.

He should have recognized it as soon as the blip appeared on the radar. No earth-made jet could fly 15 times faster than sound, not unless they were coming down from orbit, being pulled by the Earth's gravity.

"_Well, I'll be damned...nice job kid."_ he praised silently.

But there was still the problem of how to get the plane down. With its tail section crippled, it couldn't fly, and it wouldn't stay in orbit for long, while it had achieved escape velocity, it wasn't flying fast enough to maintain it, nor was it powerful enough to do so, now the shuttle was no longer pulling it, gravity would take over...

_Onboard the plane..._

Clark stared out the window, just like everyone else was doing.

"We're...in orbit..." one of the passengers said in awe.

It was a truly beautiful sight. But then he noticed the curvature of the Earth started to rise.

"_Uh oh...this...is NOT good..."_

Apparently, Bruce was thinking the same thing.

"Hang onto something." he ordered, getting his attention, Clark looked back at him. Bruce's eyes were hard.

"This is going to be bad."

And right at that moment, everything started to shake again. Violently, only this time, the shaking was accompanied by the sensation of being pulled down...

"Oh shit." Clark muttered.

_Low orbit…_

Jack let finally let go of the Shuttle and turned round, only to see the plane start to spin laterally out of control as it was pulled back into the atmosphere and speeds it wasn't designed for, and without its tail rudder, it wouldn't be able to control its descent.

"_Scrap!"_ he thought, before he dived after it.

_Autobot HQ…_

Everyone was holding their breaths, at least those that needed to breathe, as they'd heard the announcement from the Pilot that the plane had achieved orbit.

"How long can they stay up there?" June asked.

"They can't." Kara replied. "They don't have the engine power to maintain escape velocity, they're probably already falling. And with the main tail rudder destroyed..." she trailed off.

"It will be in freefall." Optimus added somberly.

"_Hurry Jack..."_ June thought.

_Upper atmosphere._

The wind rushed past him as he approached the spinning plane and grabbed it's starboard wing and tried to pull it up, trying to slow the plane's turn and get it flying in a relatively straight direction.

Over the rushing sound of the thickening air, he heard the pilots futilely trying to gain control of their crippled plain, the instruments screaming at them that they were flying over-speed, as if they needed to be told they were flying way too fast.

Jack groaned with the effort, he was slowing the plane's rotation, but not enough.

Inside the plane, Clark, Bruce and the Stewardess stared out the window at the teenager wearing a blue bodysuit and red cape, who was hanging onto the wing, seemingly for dear life.

"_Well, that's one way to start earning their trust,"_ Bruce thought.

"W—Wha...What the hell?" the stewardess whispered as she stared at the figure holding the wing.

"_Christ..."_ she thought _"He's a freaking KID!"_

"Ok, please tell me I'm not hallucinating." Clark said as he stared out at the wing.

"You're not." Bruce replied.

"Who IS this guy?" Clark asked.

"If I had to guess Kent, I'd say he's the guy trying to save our lives."

"_Gee, thanks Captain Obvious."_ Clark thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

A few other passengers, namely those with a view of the right wing, had also seen Jack, and were murmuring their own questions, some even snapping photos on their I phones and uploading them to the Net while they had the chance.

The sound of groaning metal cut off any more train of thought as the plane lurched violently to the right as a sudden upsurge of air turbulence caused the wing to buckle. A low groan echoed through the plane, and a tear sounded through the plane, before the entire wing was torn off…

_Outside the plane…_

"Scrap!" Jack yelled as the wing was ripped away from the plane by a sudden pocket of air turbulence, and he went spinning away. By the time he'd let go and righted himself, the plane was already nearly 1000 feet below him and falling rapidly, now in a corkscrew dive.

Narrowing his eyes, he dived towards it, he could see the glittering coast below the plane, and at the angle it was descending, it was going to hit the ground, not the water. But at this speed, it wouldn't have made any difference.

As he raced towards it, a burst of sparks and the sound of tearing metal announced the amputation of the left wing, which flew at him rapidly, spinning with the force of its separation. Jack covered his eyes with an arm, bringing the other in front of him. There was a loud crash, and he tore through the wing, looking behind himself to see it rip itself apart in the turbulence.

He looked back down at the plane, shooting after it. The mangled remains of the fuselage was now in a corkscrew nosedive, heading straight towards the ground, more specifically, towards a packed baseball stadium.

"As good a place as any to land that thing I suppose, I just need to get ahead of it." he muttered, as he shot forward, circling around the fuselage until he reached the nose and got under it. Reaching up, he took hold of the metal and dug his fingers in, and started to concentrate on decreasing his speed...

_NASA HQ…_

"Where the HELL is that plane?!" Bryce demanded.

"Radar shows it's over Yankee Stadium Sir!"

"I think there's a game on right now there, they should be broadcasting live..." Jimmy spoke up.

"Feed. NOW!" the general ordered.

One of the other techs frantically switched on a large monitor and Jimmy swung his camera round, focusing on it.

The cameraman at the stadium focused on the batsman as he hit the ball, and then followed the ball into the air...but quickly forgot about that and focused on the slowly spinning, wingless body of a plane that was falling towards the pitch.

"What the hell happened to the wings!?" one of the techs asked.

But General Bryce wasn't concerned about the lack of wings, he was more focused on the small figure that was _holding_ the nose of the plane, and apparently, whoever was behind the camera at the stadium had the same idea, as it focused in on him. The kid had a stern look on his face as he struggled to keep the plane up right.

"What the HELL?!" Lana exclaimed. "Is that...?" she asked.

The Stadium's patrons, who had been cheering the game seconds ago were now silent as they watching the slowly descending plane, the players had already scattered to the edges of the pitch, not quite knowing what to do with themselves.

On the screen, they watched the small blue-clad figure stretch his legs down towards the Pitcher's mound, and his knees bent until he was crouching as his feet hit the ground, then slowly he lifted the mangled wreck back up into the air, and held it there for a few seconds as his feet left the ground, and then, with a final groan, the Kryptonian teen angled the body down, until it came to gently rest on the ground with a loud crash, and a cloud of dust.

_Yankee Stadium. New York._

Jack let go of the nose and sighed with relief as the stadium remained dead silent, unsure of how to react at the moment. He floated towards the left emergency exit door and ripped it out of its frame, dropping it to the ground, he stepped onto the shattered aircraft and looked around at the people who were staring at him.

Some looked at him in fear, some in awe, but that fear quickly vanished, and was replaced by expressions of joy and gratitude. He could already hear the faint murmurs.

"Is...is that the one that Zod guy was after?"

"Jesus...he's just a boy!"

"Wait a minute! I _KNOW_him! He's the guy from Jasper Nevada!" Jack inwardly cringed at that last one, he was hoping no-one had seen that bank-robbery footage, at least no-one outside of Jasper, but apparently, Robin hadn't been fast as he'd thought he had.

"Everyone ok?" he asked.

Several of the people nodded, though most were still staring at him doe-eyed.

"Ok, just hang on a sec, I'm gonna open the other doors and deploy the chutes." And with that, he turned and floated out of the doorway, before turning and pulling out the emergency chute, the inflatable slide deployed immediately, it took him less than a minute to pull off the other doors and deploy the other 5 chutes.

He then floated away from the plane as the passengers and crew began to slide out. As the first passenger touched down, the stadium erupted into a unanimous applause from the crowds, deafening everyone who exited the plane.

Numerous flashes started to catch his eye, and he turned towards the crowd, and saw quite a lot of them had cameras and camera phones out, snapping away. He then spotted his own face on the Big Screen.

_"Great,"_ he thought, and felt a light tap on his shoulder.

He turned to see Mr. Wayne standing there, "Good job kid, it's a start,"

_Tokyo, Nakadai residence…_

"Oh FRAG YEAH! Woo! Atta-boy Jack!" Miko cheered, not caring in the least that she was making enough noise to give people the impression she was being brutally murdered.

"_If THIS doesn't convince them that Jack isn't dangerous, then I'm filing for Emancipation!"_ she thought as she continued to cheer.

At that very moment, her parents knocked on her door, "Miko, we need to talk,"

_Jasper, Esquivel residence…_

"Yes!" Raf said, as his bedroom door was flung open and several of his siblings came in.

"Did you guys see?! I _TOLD_you he wasn't dangerous!" Raf declared. His older siblings exchanged looks, not quite knowing what to do or say. Several turned to glare at Samantha, who turned a faint shade of red.

She'd been the only one who believed her parents when they said that Jack was dangerous. And for once, all three had been proven wrong…

_Autobot HQ…_

"Yes!" Fowler cheered, before checking himself, seeing the looks Team Prime and the Darby's were giving him. At that moment, Krypto padded into the main room, having used the Doggy Door Jack had installed in one of the service entrances, he walked up to Arcee and sat down next to her, panting happily as he looked up at the monitor that showed his master.

June didn't bother to stop the tears as they rolled down her face, her heart swollen with pride in her baby boy as she smiled to the point her cheeks were hurting.

"_That's my boy. Your father would be proud Jack, both of them, and I'm sure your real mother would be too."_ she thought.

"Nice job Superboy." Arcee said, her voice full of pride of her partner and boyfriend.

"Well done Jackson." Optimus said quietly, his own spark filled with elation.

"Impressive." Starscream added, Bee whirred his agreement.

Void smiled faintly, "Perhaps he has more in common with Optimus then he thinks," she said quietly.

On the monitor, Lana Lang had finally found her voice again.

"_Well, General...About those other threats you mentioned earlier. I think it's plainly obvious you weren't referring to him, were you?"_ she said with a smile.

"Heh, _burn..._" Bulk chuckled, Kara also giggled, and Krypto yipped his agreement.

On the screen, Bryce glared at Lana, he wasn't going to dignify that with a response, not on live TV anyway, although the bots could clearly see the admiration and approval in the General's eyes.

June turned to Ratchet.

"Ratchet, open a Ground bridge please, it's time Jack came home." The CMO nodded and dialed in the coordinated, and activating the Bridge, a few seconds later, Jack walked through, looking exhausted.

"Well...that was...different." he said, before he smiled as first Krypto, then his sister, then his mother all embraced him.

_The Nemesis, Lunar Orbit…_

Megatron narrowed his eyes as the news feed of the plane rescue finished as Kal-El floated through a Groundbridge that opened next to the plane.

He had to admit, he was impressed, though he'd never admit it to anyone, the boy definitely had the makings of a Prime, he saw a lot of Orion in him. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Decepticons had monitored the entire incident, namely because they were curious about what the humans were up to, and they had remained out of reach of the mysterious EMP blast that had nearly destroyed the shuttle and it's transport, though Megatron wouldn't have cared less.

"Well you gotta hand it to Jack, he certainly knows how to make an entrance." Knockout spoke up. Megatron glared at him. The Medic was not in his good books right now, as the human saying went. He was turning out to be as much of a disappointment as Starscream.

"Soundwave. Did you trace the EMP to its source?" he asked.

The faceless con nodded and a set of planet-side coordinates flashed up on screen, "Good, preserve them for a later date,"

Megatron turned to Dreadwing, "Ready the device and head to Tokyo, we have new ground to shake,"

_Secret MECH facility…_

"IDIOT!" Silas screamed, and decked the technician, knocking him flat on his back.

"Do you have _any _idea what you could have just cost us!?" he demanded, the tech scrambling away.

"Sir, I swear, it was an accident, I never meant to-"

"It doesn't matter if you _meant_ to, the fact is that you _did _do," Silas growled, before straightening up, "Consider yourself lucky that I have ANOTHER power source to replace the one you fried,"

He pulled a silver steal briefcase off one of the terminals and approached the work table. It was human sized, with a sheet over its inhabitant. The room itself was dimly lit, with only a large cluster of lights illuminating the table and its immediate area.

Silas brushed the tools aside and placed the case on the table. With a flick of his thumbs, it popped open, revealing its contents, "Slade was right, the fragment was right where he said it'd be,"

He lifted a green stone out of the case, examining it, "Once Project METALLO is complete, no one, not even Jack will be able to stop our goals,"

**A/N: BAM! That was one hell of a chapter. I'm going to be honest here, I had A LOT of help in this chapter from Guardian of Azarath, thank him for his services guys. He's done a lot for this story. Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews. Remember to PM me with plot ideas or questions, I promise to answer them. Bye!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Reactions

_Titan's Tower, Jump City…_

"Dudes! Check it out!" Beast Boy called, drawing his friends into the room. The Anamorphic 15 year old was sat staring at the huge flat-screen TV wide-eyed.

He turned up the volume as the others entered.

"This better be good Grass Stain! I'm still putting the finishing touches on the new T-Ship." Cyborg growled, stopping as he saw the screen.

"Whoa..."

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he's certainly going to be popular now..." she deadpanned.

Robin just narrowed his eyes at the screen in frustration. He'd WARNED Jack to avoid attention, but still, he couldn't help but respect the Kryptonian teen, he'd done good.

On the screen, there was a news report, detailing the events of the near tragic accident that afternoon.

"_...And for those of you just joining us, this was the scene only a few hours ago, where the Kryptonian known as Kal-El, also known as Jackson Robert Darby, local resident of Jasper, Nevada, came to the rescue of the Genesis Test-Flight carrier plane, the specially modified Boeing 777 that was used to launch a new type of Shuttle designed to be launched from a mobile platform."_

The news anchor reported, as he talked, a recording of the footage from the Baseball game, clearly showing Jack descending with the mangled remains of the plane in his hands, landing almost smoothly on the Pitcher's Mount, before setting the Fuselage down on the field, and proceeding to pull the exit doors off.

"Ya gotta hand it to 'im, the Dude knows how to make an entrance." Beast Boy said, his eyes glued to the screen.

"_As most of you will know, the Eastern and Central Northern United States was hit by a massive EMP earlier this afternoon, during the test flight. Authorities have not yet commented on the cause of the EMP or its source, but rough estimates, due to the fact that the plane and shuttle were affected, even though they were over the Atlantic, have led some to speculate that the EMP was triggered on the Eastern Seaboard. We do know that after it hit, the Shuttle's docking clamps became magnetically locked, fusing the two aircraft."_

Cyborg winced. "I can't believe I missed the test-flight. Some big names went into that project. Hopefully this won't kill it, I mean, it didn't fail through any fault of its own."

Robin nodded. "Yes, but Jack is going to have to be careful now the spotlight is on him. The world will be watching his every move. And eventually, his sister too."

"Indeed." Starfire said as she sat on the couch, idly stroking the little mutant silk-worm that she'd recently 'adopted', but since she'd learned not to feed him any exotic fruits from her home-world, which consequently would have resulted in him growing immense, he was actually pretty cute, and was the only other living thing in the tower that liked both Tofu and Tameranian food.

"The public reactions to Friend Jack's actions may prove to be favorable, for the moment at least. But eventually that may change."

_NASA Genesis Launch Control, Washington,_

"_After the heroic rescue, and even during it, images and amateur video footage taken by some of the passengers onboard the Plane showed Mr. Darby's efforts in attempting to slow the plane down, after apparently separating the Shuttle and helping put distance between it and the plane, after it achieved Low Orbit."_ The anchorman continued, flashing up an amateur video shot by a passenger sat directly behind the right wing, and looking out. The image was shaking, but clearly showed a young boy, no older than 16 or 17, clad in a dark blue body suit, with a red cape and boots, holding onto the wing.

"Huh..." Hal Jordan said as he sat in the one of the Debriefing rooms after landing Genesis without any problems, thankfully.

"I was wondering how we got loose so suddenly."

"No kidding." Carol said as she sat next to her husband, nursing a coffee. "I mean, _Christ_ Hal, look at him! He's just a _KID!_ I mean, I saw the reports of that Zod guy, we both did, and if this is what he can do when he's just a teenager, imagine what he can do as an adult."

"Yeah...And I think that's gonna have a LOT of people worried. I did some searching, and of the few people who knew about this kid for sure after Zod's attack, they thought he was a threat, I even heard talk of some of the higher-ups in the Pentagon wanting to have him pressed into service." Hal replied. Carol snorted.

"He's 16, they couldn't even if they tried. He's still a minor. Besides, he's a US Citizen, and forced conscription is illegal."

Hal gave his wife a serious look. "There are those in our government that wouldn't care about his age Carol, not if it was only 1 or 2 years off, and they'd probably argue that he's doing things that no minor should be doing, regardless of whether they have the power or not. And as for the Citizen thing? They'd probably argue that since he isn't human, he wouldn't qualify."

"Still, they'd have one HELL of a time trying to get him in a regulation uniform." She replied, Hal had to agree with that.

"No kidding, though to be honest, I kind of like the one he's got." Hal smiled. Carol just snorted again and smiled, of course, her husband _would_ like overly flashy fashion statements, though she had to admit, despite his dress sense, Jack Darby did good today. Real good.

_Gotham City._

Alfred Pennyworth, the long time friend and butler of Thomas and Mary Wayne, Guardian and devoted surrogate father of young Bruce Wayne, and devoted ally of Gotham's now soul protector, walked into the bat cave carrying a tray with two cups of tea. He was dressed in his usual attire, his grey hair immaculately kept, his thin moustache neatly trimmed, as he approached the figure sat before the large computer monitor, the news report playing on the big screen, the large speakers, the kind you'd only find at a nightclub, belting out the audio.

"_We're gonna die...We're gonna die...We're gonna die..."_ a girl's voice said off camera, just barely audible over the screaming and crying of the other passengers, and the loud rumbling and shaking of the plane.

"_Hey! There's a kid holding the wing!"_ another girl's voice said, obviously the one holding the camera.

"_What? Sarah, you're nuts! There's...HOLY SHIT!"_ the first girl said, leaning over her friend, her face coming into shot for just a second. _"What the F—"_ her next word was filtered out, no-doubt by the news-agency's editors.

"_Who the hell IS this guy?"_ a man's voice said from the seats in front.

"_If I had to guess Kent, I'd said he's the one trying to save our lives."_ Came Bruce's eerily calm voice.

"You certainly have a way with words, don't you Master Bruce." Alfred said as he set the tray down, and looked at his employer, friend and ward.

On the screen, the video suddenly shook violently, and, with the sound of straining and tearing metal followed by a loud bang, the wing sheared off. There was a fresh bout of screaming from the passengers and the plane suddenly started spinning, sending loose baggage flying everywhere.

"_OH MY GOD! THE WING! WE LOST THE WING!"_ the girl holding the camera screamed, a few seconds later, there was another violent shuddered, followed by the sound of tearing metal, and with another bang, the other wing was gone. Then with a final scream, the video cut out.

The news anchorman continued his coverage.

"_Although initial research showed Public opinion on Kal-El, and by extension, the group known as the Autobots, was widely, and more or less evenly, divided, this daring rescue of nearly 100 lives has garnered a massive influx of support from around the world. People are praising Mr. Darby's bravery and selflessness, while others are questioning if there are any more on Earth like him, who are still hiding their existence. Some sources from Jasper also claim that Mr. Darby's career in heroics might have started several years ago, with an incident involving a school bus full of students crashing into a river, which would have resulted in the deaths of the students and driver, had someone not pushed the vehicle out of the water. We also have unconfirmed rumors that Mr. Darby's sister, Kara Darby, might also be a Kryptonian, and if so, what of their mother? Is it possible she herself is also Kryptonian? And if so, why Earth? Why settle here 16 years ago to raise a family?"_

Alfred chuckled at that last one. "Although I highly doubt the validity of those rumors of Miss Darby's supposedly alien origins, I suppose it would have benefited her to some degree if there was a grain of truth to them."

Batman didn't say anything, he just sat in the large chair, keeping his eyes focused on the big screen, several other screens open, some showing websites, others showing official looking documents that Alfred was pretty sure, Batman _shouldn't_ be looking at. But what was the world's greatest detective if not observant? And thorough.

Alfred noted with a raised brow, that all the documents were personal data files of Jack, a woman Alfred saw was his mother when he saw her name, a quite attractive lady in his opinion, a man who was listed as "Robert Darby. (Deceased)" as well as profiles for three others. A Japanese girl, a young boy wearing glasses, and a second girl who bore a striking resemblance to young Jack.

"His sister is definitely not human. They look too much alike, add to the fact that her records, all of them, including a birth certificate, were forged, professionally forged, but forged none-the-less, it's clear there are at least two Kryptonians left on Earth."

"And what of the others?" Alfred asked.

Batman brought two files up on screen.

"Miko Nakadai and Rafael Esquivel. She's a Japanese Foreign Exchange Student, or was, until her family cancelled her Visa and had her sent back to Tokyo, he's a child prodigy who's computer skills are almost as good as mine. I've been following his online activities for a while. Namely he was hacking websites and removing photo and video evidence of supposed alien sightings, now of course, we know what, or _who_, he was protecting."

"The Autobots. I can't imagine young Master Esquivel's family took the news of him associating with sentient robots very well."

"No. They had a restraining order filed against the Autobots and the Darby family. Although how much longer that remains in effect, that's still to be seen."

Alfred nodded, as Batman brought up several more files and news clippings, each focusing on a specific vehicle. A blue custom Ducati motorcycle, very similar to the one young Master Grayson favored, a larger black motorcycle, a dark green Military SUV, a red-orange Ambulance, a yellow-black Urbana 500, and lastly, a long-nose red and blue Pete built Semi, each picture was also accompanied by another showing that vehicle standing upright, in a human form, with pieces of said vehicle spread over their bodies.

"Amazing...You could walk right past one and not even know." Alfred said.

"That's the point."

_Autobot HQ._

June blinked at the news anchorman's last statement as what he'd implied sunk in. Then she face-palmed.

Hard.

"Oh god..." she moaned. "Now people are going to be giving _me_ weird looks everywhere I go, as if they're expecting me to start floating any second..." then, to the surprise of everyone, she started laughing.

"I mean, come on! _Me? Kryptonian?!_ Ha, I wish!" then she noticed everyone was giving her strange looks.

"What? If nothing else, it would have helped me keep up with Jack when he was younger."

"Mom!" Jack protested.

Arcee chuckled. "Well, people were bound to start making those assumptions eventually June, but I don't think you've got anything to worry about."

"Unless people at the hospital start asking me to x-ray them with my eyes to see what's wrong with them." June snorted.

On the screen, the news coverage was continuing.

"_We also managed to interview several of the passengers and crew after they had been tended to by paramedics, all of them expressed their heart-felt thanks and gratitude to the young Man of Steel who saved their lives."_ And following that statement, several video clips played, each with a different person expressing their gratitude, some were in tears, some weren't, and some were just barely holding it together.

"_Thank you..."_

"_Thanks man, I owe ya big time!"_

"_I just...I just kept thinking about my family and then, then we were falling, the wings were gone and...then we were on the ground, safe, and this young man just steps onto the plane and asks us if we're okay...I just want to say...thank you!"_

"See? And you were worried people would hate you." Arcee said with a smile.

Jack couldn't help but smile.

"I'm so proud of you." June said, pulling her son into a bone-crushing (or it would have been had he been human) hug. Kara patted her brother on the back.

"You did good baby brother, Jor-El and Lara would be proud too."

"But aren't you worried they almost ID'ed you as his sister?" Bulkhead asked. Kara shrugged.

"The entire town of Jasper already knows, I'm just surprised they said it was rumor, although, I think you can kiss your civilian identity goodbye Kal." She said with a smirk. Jack blinked and groaned, then sighed.

"You're right. Good Bye Privacy."

The news anchor then continued with his report, _"Whereas most of the responses from the world have been supportive of Jackson Darby, there have been some who are speculative, suspicious, and some might say, paranoid. One such individual is Amanda Waller, head of the NSA, she had this to say."_

The image of the anchorman was then replaced by an African-American woman who looked very heavy-set, dressed in a smart looking dark blue suit, _"Although nobody can deny that Mr. Darby has done good work, we should also remember to be cautious, we all still remember what happened with Zod, and Jack is just a teenager, and has already demonstrated that he is capable of wielding incredible power, power not even the Decepticons are possibly capable of matching," _

_She paused briefly before continuing,__" And with no-one to hold Jack accountable for his actions, good or bad, that creates a potential security concern. We know of nothing that can physically harm these Kryptonians, our weapons have proven ineffective in the past, and should Jack ever turn on us, there would be very little we could do to defend ourselves, the same could also be said for these Autobots,"_

_Everyone looked amongst each other as the woman continued, "__That said, we must not become too dependent on him either, after all, he can't be everywhere at once, and sooner or later, he'll come up against something he cannot handle, and then we're all in trouble."_

And with that, the broadcast was shut off as Kara turned off the news feed.

"Who the PIT does she think she is!?" Kara snapped, it was clearly evident that she didn't like this Waller woman, and if June had to be honest, she didn't either. A sentiment she quickly learned was shared by the rest of Team Prime.

"I don't like her." June said, Krypto grunted his agreement from his sitting position on the floor next to her.

"Amanda Waller is sharp, and usually very critical," Fowler explained to her, though he sounded unconvinced, "She's made a lot of people unhappy during her career, but she is just looking out for the security of the US."

"That doesn't mean she has to paint my children in the same light as Zod." June retorted. "And from the sound of it, she's just as suspicious as the Autobots, and they've done far more for this planet than she ever has, or will, and no-one even really thanked them so far for their efforts,"

"You and the kids have June, and to be honest, that's worth more to me than a statement from a human I'll likely never meet," Arcee said confidently. Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Voidwalker all nodded in agreement.

The Darby's smiled at the praise, right as a beep on the terminal gained everyone's attention, "What is it Ratchet?" Optimus asked as the medic turned to the terminal.

"A communication," he replied, "But I don't know who it's from-"

_"HEY GUYS!"_ the incredibly excited voice of Miko yelled over the comm.

Everyone stared at the screen in shock. Bulkhead was the first to speak, his voice weak and surprised, "M-Miko? Is that really you?" he asked, not wanting to believe what he was hearing.

A happy laugh sounded over the comm. "_You bet! After that little stunt that Jack pulled, my parents decided to get rid of my communications ban! I can finally talk to you guys again!"_

"Miko that's great!" the wrecker said happily, his faceplate lighting up with a huge smiled, "Any idea when they'll let you back into base?"

Miko's voice grew more disappointed, _"No, not yet," _she said sadly, _"They don't seem to want me to leave the house anytime soon, I'm lucky they agreed to this at all,"_

"Still worried about us being _dangerous_?"Jack asked sarcastically, his mood having lightened considerably.

"_Yeah, but I think I've almost got them-"_ she was cut off as a low rumbling was heard over the phone, followed by a low crash.

"Miko!?" Bulkhead asked worriedly, "Everything alright over there,"

Her voice came back over the phone, "_It's fine Bulk, just a little earthquake is all. Japan gets them all the time,"_ she sounded pretty calm, until another rumble and louder crashes followed by screaming could be heard over the phone.

"MIKO!"

_"I…. there's….keep coming….. houses collapsing…. need…elp!" _the line went dead.

"Ratchet, open a bridge," Optimus ordered. He received no argument from the medic, who furiously got to work on the controls. In seconds, the bridge had opened, and the Autobots, along with Jack and Kara, rushed through…

_Tokyo, Japan…_

Team Prime emerged out onto the outskirts of the city, only to immediately fall to their servos as the ground bucked beneath them. Jack and Kara had no such problem, flying above the ground, but the rest of the Autobots struggled to stay on their pedes.

Just as quickly as it started, the earthquakes stopped, allowing the team to regain their composure and overlook the city itself. Many of the smaller buildings surrounding the outskirts of the city looked damaged or collapsed, and the windows of the massive skyscrapers were cracked or shattered, likely leaving the streets coated in shards of the stuff. The occasional cloud of inky black smoke drifted up from the city, a sign that a fire had broken up due to the earthquake.

As the group scanned the city, another short quake shook the ground around them, "Something's not right," Kara said, once the shaking stopped.

Team Prime looked to her and she elaborated, "Earthquakes only happen once _maybe _two or three times in a row, and rarely so fast together. Something, or _someone_ is causing these quakes,"

Another quake shook them, "You may be right Kara," Optimus said as he stumbled slightly, "but we lack to time to search for what is causing it,"

"Send us out Optimus," Jack insisted, and he shot him a quizzical look, "we'll look for whatever's causing the quakes, while you and the others evacuate the city. Once we stop it, Kara and I will help with the rest of the city,"

Optimus nodded, and the quake stopped, "Very well, Kara and Jack shall find and stop the source of these quakes," he looked to the rest of his team, "We shall evacuate the city. Autobots, transform and roll out!"

With a quick shift of metal, the Cybertronians transformed to vehicle mode and drove off down the road, Starscream taking to the skies. Jack and Kara looked to each other and exchange faint nods. Together they shot into the skies, scanning for whoever, or whatever, was causing the quakes…

_Tokyo, Japan…_

Bulkhead roared through the damaged streets, memories of the destroyed New York ever present in his processor. He knew that a lot of people had died in that invasion, and that the city was still rebuilding. Given the ever present pattern of earthquakes that rocked the city, Bulkhead feared what he might find in this city.

His greatest worry, was that he wouldn't be able to get to Miko's place quick enough. He'd memorized the address shortly after the girl had left, and had since began a perilous drive there. Every time a tremor hit, the wrecker grew more and more worried for Miko's safety.

He didn't know how her house was built. It could have been designed to handle earthquakes like the buildings he passed behind in a blinding blur, or it could have already collapsed. If that girl had gotten hurt because he hadn't been there, he'd never forgive himself.

The mech's thoughts were interrupted, as three purple cars suddenly screeched by, drifting around a turn and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. In that time, two things clicked in Bulkheads processor. The first, was that the cons were in the city. The second, was that they'd just turned onto a street leading up the hill to Miko's house.

"Not while I still function," the wrecker growled, kicking his engine into gear. He slammed on the gas, and his tires squealed against the asphalt, his rear end fishtailing as he shot after them. No way was he going to let a bunch of con's hurt his partner.

He disregarded all safety and rocketed up towards Miko's house, radioing Optimus at the same time, "Optimus, we got cons in the area, they're heading to Miko's. I'm moving to engage,"

There was only a brief moment of silence before, "Roger that Bulkhead, we'll move to rendezvous,"

"Negative Prime, I can handle these cons. You keep evacuating the civvies," he cut off his comm. link before Optimus could respond, and gunned it. There was a loud crash as he slammed through the gate leading into Miko's house before transforming, blasters armed.

The area was a clean well groomed yard, with a relatively large house resting comfortably on the edge of a small cliff. A part of the house had been caved in by a con, whose servo was currently tearing through the wood and plaster of the building, looking for its residents.

"Hey cons!" he yelled, pointing his blasters at them.

The three Vehicons turned to regard him, and he gestured towards them with his blasters, "Who wants some?"

The drones immediately activated their blasters and attacked the wrecker as he stormed their lines, taking careful aim to avoid hitting the house behind them. One blaster bolt connected with the silver plate of the lead drone, causing it to stumble backwards, stunned. It didn't recover in time to try and avoid the massive wrecking ball that connected with its faceplate, leaving a neat, mace shaped, imprint.

He turned to the remaining two, feeling their blaster fire bounce off his armor harmlessly. With a fierce roar, he slammed his mace into the nearest ones midsection, and grabbed it by the head with his large servo. He twisted away from the house and slammed it face first into the ground, shattering the head. Energon and bits of metal scattered everywhere, and Bulkhead turned to the remaining con, who seemed to be shaking slightly.

He squared his shoulders and stood to his full height, creating a _very _imposing figure, "So what's it gonna be con, fight or flight?" the shaking drone stepped hesitantly away from the wrecker, who let out a chuckle.

A moment later, the Vehicon went sailing over the house and off the cliff. A loud boom echoed from the ground as it landed, "Flight it is," Bulkhead said to himself, dusting off his servo's.

He looked down at the house, right as one of the doors opened, and a very familiar girl ran out to the wrecker, ignoring the protests of the people he could only assume were her parents.

"Bulkhead!" Miko cried happily as the wrecker kneeled, ignoring the slight tremors that continued to shake the ground.

Bulkhead let out a happy laugh and extended a servo, which Miko happily hugged, "Hey Miko, just thought I'd pop on by, make sure you and your folks were safe," he smiled slightly at her.

Miko returned the smile, "We weren't in any real danger Bulk, I knew you or the rest of Team Prime would keep us safe," the confidence in her voice was contagious.

Two more people emerged from the house, and the mech looked up at Miko's parents, "Your parents?" he asked.

The two nodded, looking at the wrecker dumbfounded, "Y-you m-must be Bulkhead," her father said, his English was heavily accented.

Bulkhead nodded, "Sorry I didn't get here sooner, traffic was a pain,"

The two looked taken aback by his joke, before continuing, "Thank you… for saving us, and our daughter,"

The wrecker grinned, "Anytime," he transformed to his large alt mode, and opened a door, "Now, anyone know a safe place I can drop you guys off at?"

_Over Japan…_

Jack and Kara flew side by side, scanning the area as the circled over the general area. They'd quickly discovered the earthquakes were localized near Tokyo, and the rest of Japan seemed unaffected by the quakes that continued to rock the city.

That confirmed their theory that someone was causing the quakes, and it wasn't just a freak incident of nature. Now all they had to do was find the source of them before the entire city collapsed.

As if on cue, Kara's suddenly called out, "Over there!" she pointed at a faint ravine in the ground, obscured by a thick amount of foliage.

"You sure?" Jack asked, squinting his eyes to double check. The thick foliage and layers of rock made it difficult to see, but eventually he did see _something_ hidden in the ravine that didn't belong.

Jack looked to Kara, who gave him an 'I told you so' expression, "Alright, something's down there, now let's go check it out," with that, he tilted forward and fell to the ravine below, Kara following in close proximity.

The crevice rapidly approached as he fell towards it, the wind ripping at his face and cape, causing the latter to whip around uncontrollably. He covered his eyes with his arms, and crashed through. Tree branches slapped and clawed at him as he pulled through, snapping against his near invulnerable skin, and suddenly, he was through.

His eyes widened at what he saw before him. He was in a large cavernous area, massively large, large enough to fit the Nemesis. Given what he saw at the center, he didn't doubt it. The cavern itself was poorly lit and seemed comprised of earth and plant life. But, lying in the center, tethered to the walls it seemed, was the Nemesis.

Jack had no idea how the con's had managed to sneak the warship underground without alerting the Japanese government, but there it lay in all its twisted glory. Large metal tendrils twisted out from its sides, each one embedded into the opposing cavern wall. Cracks spread out like spider webs from each tendril, and every 30 seconds or so, the tendrils seemed to expel a massive pulse of energy, causing the cavern to shake.

Basically put, the Decepticons had converted the Nemesis… into a gigantic earthquake generator.

Obviously it wasn't an easy process, as the lights of Vehicons illuminating the topside of the black ship where obvious even to those without supervision. Dreadwing and Knockout could be seen atop the ship as well, ordering Vehicons to and fro across the deck and occasionally onto one of the pulsing tendrils.

All this detail, Jack absorbed in an instant, before turning to Kara, "So…" he started, "Any ideas how to destroy this thing?" he asked her.

The Kryptonian girl rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she floated cross legged next to him, "Our best bet would probably be to destroy those tendrils. If we can destroy enough of them, the pulse won't be strong enough to affect anything outside of the ships immediate radius,"

"And the cons?"

Kara smiled, "If they try to stop us, we fry 'em. No one attacks our friends,"

Jack smirked, "Good plan, let's hope it works!"

The siblings immediately shot towards the generator, taking either side of it at once. Jack broke clean through the first tendril, shattering it with ease. By this point, the cons only had just started to notice him. He managed to destroy two more of the remaining 10 tendrils, but got no further as he was assaulted by a barrage of red blaster fire.

He dodged and weaved the majority of it fairly easily, brushing off the stray bolt that slammed into him. Regardless, the barrage slowed his assault quickly, and he realized that if he was to destroy the tendrils, he needed to thin the herd so to speak. A blaster bolt sped towards him, and he _hit_ the bolt with the back of his hand, redirecting it into the wall behind him.

Jack looked at his smoking fist and grinned, "Well, that'll come in handy," he muttered, before charging into a group of cons standing on one of the many spikes that stuck out from the Nemesis.

He rocketed towards the first one at a blistering pace, rearing his fist back and slamming it into the Vehicons faceplate with a resounding _boom_. The drone's head went flying clean off, the body falling off the spike into the dark abyss below.

A lance of heat vision melted the faceplate of the next con, and Jack delivered a kick into a thirds midsection. A loud _crack_ echoed from the area he struck, and the con went limp as it's lower neural system failed. It's body slid off the spike as well, and Jack began an assault on the remaining cons.

He punched, kicked, froze, or fried any con that got in his way. Soon enough, a trail of dismembered Vehicons was left behind him, and the blaster fire thinned considerably. Grinning to himself, Jack slammed onto the nearest tendril, hearing and feeling a satisfied crunch from the tendril as it broke apart under his impact.

He proceeded to rip through several more of the tendrils, before a large cannon shot slammed into his chest. Jack let out a pained grunt as he was knocked end over end, into the wall, leaving an imprint.

Jack weakly opened his eyes and saw Dreadwing standing a good distance away from him on the Nemesis, his cannon aimed at him. Pealing himself from the wall, Jack shook his head before glaring at the con.

From what he could hear over the din of combat, Kara was having some trouble as well, and the pulses were still strong enough to cause damage to Tokyo. Gritting his teeth, Jack charged at Dreadwing, who proceeded to fire shot after shot at the boy. The majority of the blasts missed Jack, but those that hit him, engulfed him in fire, or he met them head on with his bare hands, knocking them away.

He finally closed the distance, and slammed into Dreadwing, the seeker dropping his cannon in the impact. Dreadwing collided with a vertical spike, letting out a grunt as he slid down its smooth side before getting up and glaring at Jack with his red optics. He slowly unsheathed his blade from his back and held it before him, ready for combat.

Jack floated away from him, daring the con to make a move. They stood like this for several moments, before the entire cavern began to tremble, debris falling from the ceiling above, and crashing against the Nemesis. Dreadwing stumbled in surprise as the Nemesis began to rapidly ascend, tearing off its tendrils as it made its way to the surface.

Jack immediately took off after it, only for the ships weapons to start firing at him. These bolts were far more powerful than anything the ground troops were packing, being able to cause serious damage to a bot if they made contact. Three of said bolts collided with Jack as he and the ship broke out of the cavern, dirt freely falling off the latter.

Jack let out a pained grunt, and felt a small burn under his suit, feeling like someone had begun to poke at him with a thousand needles. He ignored the sensation and shot back after the ship. He didn't get far before he hear an outraged roar, followed by the sound of blaster fire.

He turned to see the silver form of Megatron screaming towards him, his Dark Energon blasters firing at full burst. Jack had no time to react, and screamed in pain as a barrage of the dark stuff collided with him, dark energy arching over his entire body. The pain was furious, intense, like his entire body was on fire.

It lasted for a few mere seconds before Jack briefly lost control of his flight and fell to the city below. He felt the edges of his vision go dark as he fell, and could only feel frustrated as the Nemesis slowly faded from view, rocketing off towards parts unknown. Jack's vision faded, and he lost consciousness, freefalling to the city below…

_Autobot HQ…_

Jack woke with a start to realize that he'd woken in the med bay back at base. He immediately looked around confused, last thing he remembered was chasing after the Nemesis, trying to take it down. Then, Megatron had shown up, he had felt intense pain, and then… nothing.

"Look, he's awake!" a familiar voice yelled happily. What followed was Miko embracing Jack in a hug.

"M-Miko!?" he asked, surprised by her appearance.

"Well duh, who else?" the girl asked as she released her friend from his hug. Jack quickly realized that the Autobots were crouched around him with looks of relief on their faces.

"But I thought that you were still living in Japan with your parents," he stated honestly.

Miko smiled, "Well I was, until the cons kinda destroyed my house. After that, my folks decided to move to Jasper. They think it's much safer," she grinned even wider.

Jack smiled in return, "Good to have the punk rocker back," he looked around, and raised a brow, "But what exactly happened? How did I wind up here?""

Arcee gave him a stern look, "After you and Kara chased off the cons, Megatron decided to attack you himself. That piece of Dark Energon in his twisted spark has changed his weapons so that they fire Dark Energon blasts. You were knocked out by it and fell to the ground. We found you in a crater on the outskirts of Tokyo. After June made sure you were okay, she and Kara returned home, waiting for you when you woke up,"

Jack nodded, "Okay, what about the people in the city?" he asked, "Did we manage to keep them all safe?"

Several bots suddenly looked downcast, and realization dawned on Jacks face. He remembered all the thanks from those he'd saved, how much they'd appreciated what they'd done. Those people, it was his fault that they didn't make it. His fault.

With an angry yell, Jack slammed his fist into the berth, leaving a dent in the metal bed, "DAMN IT!" he screamed.

Several bots flinched at his reaction, while Optimus, Arcee, Void, and Starscream looked at him with understanding. Jack clenched his eyes, suppressing a few tears, "Damn it," he repeated more quietly.

"If I'd been faster, found the ship sooner, just taken it out, those people wouldn't have died! It's my fault that they lost their lives!"

Arcee put a servo on his shoulder, tipping his head up to look at her with her thumb. The rest of the bots and Miko left the bay, leaving the two to talk, "Jack, what happened there wasn't your fault. You gave it your all, you _stopped_ the cons, sent them packing, forced Megatron himself to fight you. You did the best you could,"

Jack looked away, avoiding eye contact, "But I could have done more, so much more," he said, more to himself than her.

A sad look crossed Arcee's faceplate, "Jack, what happened happened. People die, there wasn't anything you could of done. But because of you, you managed to save far more lives. Imagine if you and Kara hadn't been there, far more people would have died,"

Jack looked back at her optics, "You might be right Arcee," he said, standing straight up, "But next time, I'll do better. I refuse to let anyone die under my watch. Not again,"

Arcee looked at Jack with slight approval and worry. She knew that only experience would show him that he couldn't save everyone. But his motivation to do just that was commendable. He wasn't going to let anyone suffer because of him, even if it wasn't his fault.

Arcee embraced the boy, "I know Jack, and I couldn't be prouder of you for it,"

**A/N: This was an odd chapter for me to write, simple as that. But, I want to know, did you guys like it? Do you have any questions concerning the chapter? PM me with them, I'll answer, I promise! Or if not, ideas would be fine too. Anyway, Bye!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Robbery

_Jasper Nevada, two days later…_

Jack let out an irritated sigh as he and his friend's exited school, Kara having been distracted with helping a teacher and deciding to come home later. Since Jack had saved the genesis flight, and stopped the earthquake in Japan, Miko's folks had moved to Jasper, and Raf's parents had finally decided to lift his ban on seeing the bots and Jack.

Today had been their first day back at school since then, and Jack had wanted to enjoy his day with his friends. Unfortunately, saving people came with the unfortunate price of stardom. Jack had already achieved ultimate popularity in school by saving the world from Zod. But now, having become a more public icon, his classmates seemed to want to take hero worship to a whole new level.

All day students had offered him all sorts of gifts, club invitations, and even asked him out. Jack could only imagine how Arcee would have reacted. But the worst of it had to be the schools new Superboy fan club. He shuddered, it was one thing to have people admire him, and he could handle that. But a fan club?

Needless to say, Jack was quite happy that school was done and that he could head to base. That was until he noticed that only Bee and Bulkhead were parked out front, "Hey guys, where's Arcee?"

"Out doing something, she wouldn't say," Bulkhead replied.

Jack arched a brow, wasn't like Arcee to keep secrets, but he supposed he'd let it be for now, "Guess I'll head home then, need to make sure Krypto hasn't eaten the couch…again,"

Miko let out a laugh, "Really Jack? I know he's a tough pooch and all but there's no way he…"  
she trailed off at the look he gave her, "Oh my god, he really did, didn't he?"

"Once so far, he's been getting big, almost up to my chest now. But he does seem to learn pretty quick too," Jack said before turning in the direction of his house, "Better safe than sorry though,"

At that moment, several new vans suddenly pulled into the school parking lot, hastily shoving themselves into parking spots. Almost frantically, their sliding doors opened and several news teams poured out and ran directly towards Jack, cameras being set up as they ran, and news woman prepping themselves.

He took a hesitant step back, "Oh no," he started.

Miko laughed and punched him in the arm, "Looks like Bee isn't the only one who's paparazzi bait,"

Jack looked to his friends, "Can you guys stall them, for like, a minute?" he asked hurriedly.

Miko saluted jokingly as the news crews drew ever closer, "Can do Superboy, you head on home," she cracked a smile and giggled.

Jack nodded thankfully to her and took off, leaving only a blur as he ran to his home, leaving the news crews to come to a slow stop in shock, "Sorry folks, nothing to see here!" Miko declared, waving the crews away, Raf trying not to laugh at her antics.

"Just move alone, head back to the muckraking centers, no dirt on Jack for you today," she continued as she shooed them away.

"Hey wait a minute!" One of the reporters, one with orange red hair that Miko and Raf recognized as Lana Lang's camera man, "Don't we know where his house is? Why not just meet him there?"

Every reporter looked to each other, and Miko and Raf exchanged looks, "Uh-oh," they said in unison…

_Darby Residence…_

Jack lightly slammed the door shut behind him, locking it tight. Ditching the paparazzi had been easy enough, now he just had to lay low until they left town. Not an easy task since they would scour the town looking for him.

Krypto trotted lightly out from his room towards his master, tail wagging happily as he sat on his haunches in front of him "Hey boy," Jack said as he stroked the dogs head.

Jack let out a low whistle as the white dog nuzzled into his mid section, "You're getting big Krypto, did you eat the couch again?"

The dog looked up at him with a guilty look, his ears tilted down and his head drooping, as if he were upset over what had happened. Jack hadn't been kidding when he said Krypto was getting big, the dog's head nearly came up to Jack's midsection, taller than most normal breeds of dog. At the rate he was growing, he'd be bigger than a Great Dane in about a week. In a month he might be big as Jack even.

Jack chuckled at his dog's guilty look, "Just kidding Krypto, I know you wouldn't ever do that,"

Krypto perked up and let out a happy bark, his tail wagging excitedly again. Jack smiled and walked into the kitchen as usual. The lunch food at school was far from satisfying, and he needed to find something better to satisfy his ravening appetite better. He was in the midst of making a sandwich, when he heard several cars pull into the driveway.

He spared a glance over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes, peering through the walls of his house and letting out an irritated growl at the sight of the news vans. Krypto tilted his head to the side quizzically at his master's irritation.

"It's nothing to worry about boy," Jack comforted, right as his phone rang.

Jack brought out the small device and inwardly groaned, it was his mom, "Hi mom," he greeted.

_"Honey, I just wanted to let you know I was coming home early tonight,"_ June told him _"I'm on my way home now,"_

"Totally not a good idea mom," Jack warned, "Paparazzi knows where we live, they're swarming the house as we speak,"

He heard June let out a groan of her own and smiled lightly, "But I think I might know a way to get them off the property that _doesn't _involve blowing up their news vans," he told her.

_"And that is?"_

Jacks smile widened, even though his mom couldn't see it, "I'm just going to go out for a little…. flight,"

He could almost hear his mom rolling her eyes, _"Fine, just be careful, okay?"_ she asked.

"Mom, when am I not?" he joked.

_"Well,"_ she started_, "There was those times with the doors, when you turned yourself into Zod, fought Draconus, went to Cybertron-"_

"Okay mom I got it, by!" Jack said hurriedly and hung up after June said her own goodbyes.

Jack looked to Krypto, who looked back with a knowing look. The dog was scary smart sometimes, "Well, time to put on a show Krypto,"

_Outside the Darby Residence…_

"Come on Jimmy, how long until you get that dinky camera of yours working?" Lana demanded, tapping her foot on the lawn of the Darby residence. They'd been the first to arrive at the house but certainly not the last. Lana didn't care, this was her story first and for most, and these vultures weren't going to steal it from her.

"Dinky!?" Jimmy demanded indignantly, and looked up from his work at her, "Miss Lang, this is a highly sophisticated piece of equipment that requires careful work to ensure that it functions right. It is not 'dinky'"

Lana rolled her eyes, "Well hurry it up, I want to get the first official interview with the Superboy,"

"Yeah yeah, I know," Jimmy muttered to himself, returning his attention to the camera.

Lana sighed and looked back at the house; it was a tiny little thing, with a single garage and driveway attached to the side. It had a small lawn out front and two windows. She knew there was a small backyard attached to it, but all in all it was your standard cookie cutter house from an American suburb.

Lana snorted lightly, hard to believe one of the most powerful beings on the planet lived in such a small house. Given that he had a sister and mother too, it had to be crowded. She almost felt bad for the kid, if it weren't for the fact that he was practically a god in mortal flesh.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a shadow was cast over her and several of the other reporters. She turned around and her eyes widened in shock as she let out a gasp of surprise. As did every other reporter waiting on the front lawn of the Darby residence.

Jack raised a brow, "What? Is there something wrong with my suit?" he joked, making a big show of looking at his suit. Of course, the real reason they were looking at him in shock was the fact that he was floating a good twenty feet in the air, dressed in what was starting to become his standard uniform.

He looked back up and smiled, "Guess not,"

One by one the reporters began to come out of their shock and started crowding under him, shouting questions in a loud jumble that no one could have made up, "Sorry folks," Jack shrugged apologetically turning away, "But this Kryptonian isn't up for a game of 20 questions,"

There was a gust of wind, and Jack vanished from site, his form quickly flying off away from the reporters. Lana grabbed Jimmy by the shoulder and dragged him into their van, "Come on Jimmy, we're going after that kid, and I _will _get an interview out of him if it kills me!"

_Las Vegas, Nevada…_

Jack looked down at the glistening lights and hotels of Vegas as he flew over head. It was funny, he'd spent his entire life living in Nevada, and not _once_ had he ever been to Vegas. He could only imagine the freak out that Miko would have if she knew that. Given how wild that girl could be, he wouldn't be surprised at all if she'd immediately dragged him off to go "partying" as she'd put it.

Jack shuddered at the possibilities of what would happen if he went partying. He didn't want a redo of his goodbye party in Dusk's dimension, the headache the following day had been killer. As if he hadn't had enough reasons to avoid sweets.

Course, he'd come to Vegas for his own reasons. No one was going to see him flying overhead here; the town was too brightly lit, too crowded. The odds of someone looking up and spotting him when he was a good thousand feet in the air were slim to none. The odds of the reporters finding him? Even slimmer.

Jack smiled at the fact that he'd been so easily able to lose them. He just hoped that it'd stay that way. He knew that the world knowing about him would make things… difficult, but he didn't need to get swarmed by the paparazzi. That would just be irritating.

His pondering was interrupted as he suddenly heard the sound of heavy gunfire echoing through the city thanks to his hearing. The teen stopped in midair, his cape billowing in the air currents as Jack pinpointed the exact location of the firefight. It didn't take him long to figure out a bank was being robbed, and that the cops must have trapped them in the building.

Without sparing a second thought, Jack took off in their direction, leaving only a small gust of wind as a reminder of his presence…

_Las Vegas Bank…_

The bank was a two story structure, comprised of marble and glass. The entire front entrance was lined with pillars supporting the roof, and a glass front behind them, exposing the lavishly decorated bank. The parking lot was a fairly large structure for a bank, and was currently occupied by over 15 police cruisers, two swat vans, and several dozen officers engaged in a brutal firefight with the robbers.

Ambulances were parked nearby, waiting on standby should any officers be injured. At the moment, such an occurrence hadn't happened, but given the weapons the criminals were packing; it was only a matter of time before that would change.

At the moment, two officers were using their cruiser as cover as the robbers opened fire on them with ordnance they shouldn't have had. One, Alex Murphy, turned to his partner Anne Lewis, "Anne, we need to make a run for it, if we stay here any longer those crooks are going to tear us apart!"

She looked to him, "And if we try to make a run for it, they'll kill us anyway," she leaned against the cruiser, "We just have to wait for them to reload,"

At that moment, a round passed clean through the cruiser and left a perfectly round hole about the size of a person's thumb in the asphalt. The two stared at it for a brief moment.

"Run for it?" Murphy asked.

"Run for it," Anne agreed.

The two turned to see that they were a good five yards from the nearest piece of cover, a large SWAT van parked nearby. Not a problem if it weren't for the .50 cal machine gun bearing down on them. Murphy looked to Anne. She nodded at him. Nodding back, the two kneeled forward in runner positions, ignoring the equipment that was digging into their midsections.

With a sudden burst the two took off, their arms pumping furiously as they sprinted towards the cover, their fellow officers providing covering fire as they ran. Murphy reached the van and skid to a stop, turning around just in time to see Anne twist her ankle in a pothole, likely made from the machine gun firing on them.

She cried out in pain and fell face forward, landing with a pained grunt. She skinned the palms of her hands and rolled on her back as she slid forward from her momentum. Anne hissed in pain and froze. Slowly, she turned to see the robbers pointing their large gun right at her, the barrel painfully vivid, even from her fair distance away.

Anne closed her eyes as time seemed to slow; she knew she couldn't possibly get up and to the van in time. She'd hurt her ankle, possible sprained it, and would only be gunned down as she stood. Best to accept her fate now and die in relative peace.

She heard the shot fire from the gun, a loud resounding bang… but she still felt alive. The fire ceased, and slowly the woman opened her eyes to see that she was indeed still alive. She looked up at the bank, and felt said eyes widen in shock. Standing in front of her, crouched slightly, was a teenager, no more than 16, dressed in a blue body suit, red cape and boots, and a pair of red gloves.

Everyone looked at him shocked, and Anne realized where she'd seen him before. This was the Superboy that'd been all over the news! Even with the footage, she'd been hard pressed to believe he was real, or as durable as the reports said. Heck, she still wasn't sure she believed all the reports.

And then the robbers opened fire on the boy. Jack stood casually, shielding the officer with his body and appearing quite bored as the bullets bounced off his body harmlessly. This little charade continued until, once more, the crooks had to reload the weapon. With a short window to work from, Jack swiftly moved and plucked Anne off the ground with ease.

Carrying her bridal style, Jack ran from his spot in the middle of the parking lot to the ambulances parked a ways off, all in the blink of an eye. He appeared so fast and suddenly, that several of the paramedics jumped back in shock as he appeared.

"She's got a broken ankle and a few scrapes," he explained to them, setting her on a gurney.

"G-got it," said the one in charge, a slightly balding man in his forties, before getting to work.

Jack nodded and flew off to find the man coordinating the situation. He was located on a building overlooking the bank, a small outpost of chairs, tables, and building blueprints laid out behind him. He peered through a pair of binoculars at the firefight below, a walkie talkie in his hands.

Needless to say, when Jack suddenly appeared next to him, the man nearly jumped out of his uniform, "Sir, what's the situation here?" he asked.

The man, Commissioner John Freeman, looked at the boy shocked. Only for a moment though, having received plenty of reports about him from the department in Jasper, "You're that Superboy, right?"

Jack nodded, "I am, and I heard you were having a little trouble, thought you could use a hand,"

Freeman nodded, "That we could kid, I don't know where these guys got their equipment from, but we'd need the National Guard to take them out. They have snipers, rockets, even a .50 cal. You sure you could even handle that stuff?"

Jack smiled and stood on top of the railing of the building, "Just keep your men at the ready Commissioner, I'll handle criminals,"

With that, he dove off the building, plummeting to the ground below at a frightening pace. At the very last minute, he pulled up, rocketing towards the entrance of the bank. He shot passed the cops and crashed through the front entrance.

He landed feet first and crouched forward as glass tinkled against the floor behind him. The entire bank was silent as Jack stood, brushing glass off his shoulders, "Well, I've had cleaner entrances," he quipped, before turning his gaze on over a dozen robbers, all their weapons pointed on him.

The teen rolled his eyes, "Guys, come on. You all saw me get shot with your biggest gun without a scratch; we all know your peashooters are going to have about the same effect,"

Several of the robbers began to inch away nervously, "None of you move!" one of them ordered, and Jack raised a brow.

"Wait, didn't you and I meet about a month ago?" he asked, looking at the man who was clearly the leader. This time he lacked a mask.

His skin was a pale complexion, and he had platinum blonde hair with hazel eyes and a well built form. His eyes widened as he realized who he was dealing with, "YOU!" he snarled, aiming his rifle at him.

Jack rolled his eyes again, "Remember how well that went last time? Come to think of it, how did you get out so early? And why try this again in the same state as my home town!?"

The man smirked, "Good behavior and friends in high places kid. As for robbing this bank, the organization who gave us this equipment ordered us to. Not sure why, but given the equipment we've been given," he patted his rifle for emphasis, "I'm not gonna ask to many questions,"

Jack sighed, "Okay, lets wrap this up, we've got innocent lives on the line here, and I'd prefer to get home in time for dinner," he shot towards two men, and knocked both into the ceiling.

They crashed with a crack, and landed on the floor below, unconscious, but alive. Jack looked to the remaining ten men, rolling his shoulders casually. The next few moments involved a bunch of screaming, several broken bones, and one man hanging from a flagpole by his underwear.

Leaving only the leader left, who backed away from Jack slowly, "Stay back kid, I mean it!"

"Now why would I do a silly thing like that?" he asked, stalking closer.

He pulled a detonator out, "Because one more step, and this entire structure, and the parking lot, goes up in flames!"

Jack froze in place, eyeing the man suspiciously. He doubted that he really did have the place wired, but he couldn't take that risk. Too many lives at stake, he'd survive it, but not the officers surrounding the exit to the building.

_"Well Jack, time to go for the diplomatic rout,"_ he thought.

Swallowing his pride, Jack raised his hands in a calming gesture, "Okay look, what's your name?" he asked.

The man lowered the detonator slightly, but still kept his determined look, "John, John Corbin,"

"Okay John, you win," Jack said.

John blinked in surprise," I do?"

Jack nodded, "Too many lives at risk, and clearly you're dedicated enough to your cause to go out in a blaze of fire," Jack said.

John hesitated, "Right…"

"In fact," Jack continued, "You clearly wouldn't even need the money if you were just going to kill yourself the moment things went south, but I suppose every man has their own plan,"

Suddenly John seemed very unsure of himself now, and Jack pressed his advantage, "Of course, no one's died yet. You'd probably only get a few months time in prison if you just turned yourself-"

"NO!" John screamed, holding the detonator up high, "I know what you're trying to do, pretty slick kid, but even if you got me to listen, this detonator is set to go off the moment my thumb comes off the trigger. Either way, lot of people die if you try anything like that again,"

Jack narrowed his eyes, before his face suddenly brightened, "Okay, do it," he said.

Johns jaw dropped, "Do it John, I won't be hurt by it," he told him.

"Kid, I don't know if you aliens don't have a self preservation instinct," John said, "But you asked for it!"

He released the trigger, his eyes clenched… nothing happened. The man looked at the detonator confused, and smacked it once with his hand, and pressed the trigger again….nothing. He then began beating at the detonator and repeatedly pressing it on and off with his thumb.

Finally, he threw it down on the ground, and crushed it under his heel, "What the hell was wrong with that thing!?" he demanded.

Jack let out a laugh, "I disabled it with my heat vision, disconnected the detonator with a blast of my heat vision," Jack explained.

John glared at him, "Next time we meet kid I-" he never finished, as Jack launched him into the air with a weak uppercut, knocking him out cold.

"I really am sick of villains and their speeches," Jack said, ignoring Corbin's unconscious form and exiting the building…. only to walk into a crowd of reporters.

He was immediately flooded with a barrage of questions about hundreds of topics, ranging from why he was on Earth, to his personal life, the latter of which caused him to blush slightly. All the while, the cops entered the bank, arresting the men he'd taken out, and bringing in a crane for the one stuck on a flagpole.

Jack let out a sigh as he tried to wade through the reporters. Maybe it'd be for the best if he answered a few questions. What was the worst that could happen?

_SWAT Van…_

Corbin sat in the van, his hands and feet cuffed to the bench that he sat on. He never should have taken the job, but the money and gear had been good. Had that _Superboy_ not interfered, he'd have made a clean getaway, but now he was going to prison… again.

He grit his teeth and clenched his hands in anger, right as the door opened on the van, and a man with a scarred face entered, "Mr. Corbin," he greeted, sitting across from him.

John raised a brow, "And you might be?"

He smiled, "Call me Silas, and I have an interesting proposition for you,"

Corbin regarded Silas with suspicion, "Don't know if you noticed, but I just got arrested," he raised his hands to show off the cuffs.

Silas waved a dismissive hand, "I have friends in high places Mr. Corbin, you'll be out in a matter of hours… _If_ you agree to my proposition for you,"

"I'll pass," Corbin said, "After today, I don't need to get my ass handed to me by a sixteen year old again," he growled.

Silas smiled and leaned forward, "But what if I told you… that I could give you the power to beat said 16 year old?"

Corbin perked up slightly, "What do you mean, the kids a living weapon,"

Silas looked at his hands with disinterest while he talked, "My organization has become involved in quite the interesting situation, designing and testing weapons to deal with threats of… extra-terrestrial origins,"

He leaned forward again, "And I'd like to give you one Mr. Corbin. And I promise, the next time you and the Superboy meet, you will win,"

Corbin only thought over the offer from Silas in silence. On the one hand, he wanted to teach that brat a lesson, leave him begging for mercy. On the other hand, he doubted that anything _could _teach him a lesson. The kid shrugged bullets off like they were using water guns, and had the strength to slam dunk a train. Hard to imagine that _anything_ could hurt or match him.

A slow smile spread across Corbin's face, "When do we start?"

_Darby Residence…_

June watched the newscast with pride at her son's accomplishment at the Bank heist. He'd handled it well, not a single serious casualty taken. She was currently alone in the house, Krypto having been taken to base with Kara to let him stretch his legs. Given the dogs growing size, it might very well become his permanent home.

Still, June was happy to see that Jack was finally able to use his powers to help people. June looked up, "Robert, if only you could see your son now, I know he'd make you proud,"

There was a knock on the door, and June looked up from the TV, "Hello?" she asked. No answer.

There was another knock, and the woman stood up, "Hold on, hold on! I'm coming!" she yelled, slightly irritated as the knocks became more and more fierce.

"Alright, what do you want?" she asked as she opened the door.

Over a dozen men in suits stood around her door, the leader holding an NSA badge out to her "Ma'am, we're going to need you to come with us, it's a matter of national security,"

"Whoa wait, what!?" June demanded as the man grabbed her by the arm, dragging her kicking and screaming out of her house.

He dragged her to a black van, and with a single deft movement, shoved her into the car, sliding the door behind her. He brought a hand to his comm. ," Ma'am, target is secure, I repeat, target is secure,"

_"Copy that, bring her to base immediately,"_

_Unknown location…_

June looked around the plain room. It was your standard, run-of-the-mill interrogation room, complete with one-way mirror.

She looked up as a rather large, heavy-set woman in a dark blue suit, who she recognized from the news broadcast as Amanda Waller, head of the NSA, she was being followed by a man she recognized all too well.

Silas.

The Terrorist leader smirked as he laid eyes on her as he closed the door behind him.

"Ah, June, always a pleasure to see your lovely face." he smiled with false charm, June just glared at him. Then her gaze snapped to Waller.

"What am I doing here? What's HE doing here? Do you know he's a terrorist?"

"Actually, Mrs. Darby." Amanda said in a cool crisp tone June instantly didn't like. "Colonel Bishop here has been re-instated into the United States Armed Forces, in charge of our new division."

"Division?" June asked.

"Yes, you see, Earth is facing some very real threats, all alien, and MECH are the only ones with any real experience dealing with such threats."

"By torturing and mutilating sentient beings?" June snapped.

"And as for why YOU are here." Waller carried on, seemingly ignoring the woman's accusations, "Well, let's start with the fact that, for the past 16 years you've been harboring one of the most powerful, and potentially one of the most deadly weapons to ever exist on this planet."

June blinked. This woman, and she used that term VERY loosely, couldn't be SERIOUS!

"There's a word for that. I believe it's called Treason."

"What the HELL was I SUPPOSED to do?! As far as I'm concerned, the only crime I committed that day, was taking in an orphan, and following my maternal instincts. Something ANY woman would have done in my place." she then glared at Waller with a look of utter hate in her eyes, wishing, just for that moment, that she really WAS Kryptonian, then she could FRY this bitch. "Except perhaps, for you, of course."

Waller's eyes narrowed, "What's THAT supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"Simple. You're a paranoid, cold-hearted bitch. And the fact that you're willing to trust this terrorist with this country's security is baffling. Do you even KNOW what he's done to me and my family? Kidnapping me, holding me hostage, LEAVING ME AT THE MERCY OF A SADISTIC SERIAL KILLER!" she screamed the last line, her eyes aflame with raw hate as she glared at the man who had nearly ended her life, and permanently ruined Jack's.

"You two can go FRAG yourselves, better yet, Frag each other!" June snarled.

Silas made a tsking noise, "Now Mrs. Darby, I thought you were a more refined woman than that?" he asked innocently.

June glared at him, "When my children are at risk from people ignorant aft's like you two, the gloves are off," she growled.

Silas just laughed, "The moment my son knows where I am, and what happened. He. Will. Tear. You. Apart,"

"I'm afraid not Mrs. Darby," Waller said, interrupting the two's verbal death match.

"What do you mean?" June asked, glaring at the woman she had begun to loath.

"You're not the only one who'll be placed under federal arrest. Once I'm done here, a federal warrant will be placed on Jacks head as well,"

"WHAT!?" June shrieked, "What the hell could he have POSSIBLY DONE!?" she demanded, breathing heavily in her rage.

"The murder of three government agents Mrs. Darby," Silas said, a smile creeping across his face, "My agents,"

Junes eyes widened in horror. She only hoped that now Jack would get away from the house. There was no telling what was waiting for him there…

_Darby Residence…_

Jack landed in his front yard late at night. Most of the questions he'd been asked had been too personal for him to answer at the time, or he simply didn't want anyone to know yet. It had taken a good three hours for him to break free of the press and head home. But now he was free, and he could finally get some rest.

Or he would, until Kara ran out to him, a worried look on her face, "Kal, have you seen June?" she asked.

Jack was taken aback by this question, "Mom said she was going to be home shortly after me, why?"

"Kal, I got home over an hour ago. When I did, the TV was on, but there was no sign of June anywhere… and the door was wide open,"

Jack didn't hear anymore, instead he rushed inside… right in time to see the news bulletin, _"In other news, Jackson Darby, also known as Kal-El or the Superboy, has had a federal warrant placed on his head for the supposed murder of three government agents, the NSA is warning all citizens to be on the lookout for this boy,"_

A picture of Jack flashed on screen. Jacks own face went pale as the bulletin continued, _"His mother has already been arrested, and steps are being taken to arrest him as well,"_

Jack didn't hear anymore, he didn't want to. He was a criminal now. Somehow, Jack Darby, had been turned into a criminal. Just for defending his friends. He felt sick, wanted to go and throw up whatever was left of his lunch.

But he couldn't, not yet. He needed to get help. Once he got help, then he'd go and clear his name…

**A/N Well, who (Besides those I told) Could honestly say they saw this coming, hmm? Let me know in the reviews. But let me know what you thought of the chapter as a whole too, I want to know what you thought. I also have a little announcement to make. I am starting a poll for two new stories I am debating on writing. I know I have a lot of other stories in the works, but honestly, I want to write these, and I seem to be handling my current load fairly well. And don't worry I'll be focused on this story still, until the Poll is done. **

**Here are your choices:**

**TFP/Green Lantern Crossover, Jack is the GL**

**TFP/DC , June and Jack are white Martians from Mars, who fled to earth to escape segregation.**

**Vote on which one you want now!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: On the Run

_Unknown Location…_

Waller rubbed her brow as she exited the elevator into the parking garage. Her attempted interrogation of June Darby had not gone as smoothly as she'd liked. The woman had refused to tell her anything about Jack or his sister, and remained stubborn through it all.

It didn't matter in the end though, with the information of the men killed by Jack under her belt, she could now arrest him and keep a leash on the kid. She didn't really want to do it, but the kid was a threat to her country, and the world. Best to tighten his lease now while he was somewhat malleable.

Waller's footsteps echoed against the pavement as she walked off the concrete onto the asphalt of the parking garage. Almost completely abandoned, the garage rarely, if ever, saw anyone parked in it. The facility had technically been decommissioned at the end of the cold war, but Waller had secretly re-commissioned it when she came to Silas with her proposition.

She knew that the man wasn't worth trusting, but the time it would have taken to develop the technology that MECH already possessed would have taken too long. By the time they'd developed it, they might have been too late.

That said, the moment that Silas showed a hint of turning on her, she'd take him down. Their alliance was temporary, there was no way she'd let that man continue to run free. Not after everything he'd done.

Waller finally found her car, parked at the top of a ramp under a flickering fluorescent light. She stopped by the door, digging into her coat pockets for her keys, cursing the vehicles faulty locking system. She growled angrily as she scratched at empty pockets, unable to find her keys.

"Don't tell me I left them in the office again," she growled.

"Looking for these?" a deep baritone voice, accompanied by the jingle of keys, asked her.

Waller narrowed her eyes and turned around to face the man, arms crossed, "Well Batman, what a…pleasant surprise," the tone in her voice suggested otherwise.

Batman narrowed his eyes, "I assume your hear about the arrest warrant on Jackson's head?" Waller asked.

"Only part of the reason," Batman answered, "I'm also hear to find out why you decided to arrest June Darby,"

Waller opened her mouth to respond, before Batman interrupted her, "And don't give me any of that 'harboring a national threat' crap," he warned her.

Waller glared at the man, "Fine, you want to know why? It's to keep a leash on that boy, he's a threat to this country, no, this planet, and right now that's the best way to keep him under control,"

"According to reports, he hasn't done anything to show he's a threat. If anything, he seems to be going out of his way to help people," Batman countered, his voice staying even.

"And if he ever turned against us," Waller started, "We'd be helpless to stop him. Even you can't deny, _Bruce_, that Jack could easily trounce us without ever breaking a threat. His sister too if Fowlers reports are true,"

"I won't deny that you have a point there Waller, but let me ask you," Batman leaned forward until his white eyes were inches from her face, "How smart is it to kidnap the mother of an emotional teenager with near limitless power? It certainly wouldn't earn his trust,"

Waller was silent and Batman smirked, "That's what I thought," he stood to his full height and walked off, tossing her keys to her over his shoulder.

"Here," he said, as she fumbled to catch them. He stood on the edge of the parking garage and jumped off, disappearing into the black of the night…

_Autobot HQ_

Everyone stared at the news report, that was being shown on the main monitor. All in a state of shock. Krypto, who was sat next to the couch, as he was getting too big to lay on it, whimpered as the news reporter said June had been arrested, and that they were hunting Jack.

Miko turned and wrapped an arm around the large dog, planting a gentle kiss on his muzzle. To say the dog's reaction to her and Raf's return had been a happy one, would be an understatement.

As soon as Miko and Raf had entered the base, the dog had tackled her and pinned her to the floor while enthusiastically washing her face. Fortunately, Kara and Jack had been on hand to pull the hyper animal away from her, long enough for her to wipe her face dry with a towel, while trying to decide between glaring at the dog or laughing at his greeting, but she'd settled for a gentle hug, telling him she'd missed him too.

They'd arrived at the base after leaving the school, and telling the rest of the team about the swarm of reporters that had descended on them, then they'd seen the news report of Jack stopping the bank robbery, and now he was a wanted felon?

"Dude! What the _FRAG?!"_ Miko exclaimed.

"Government Agents? Pfft! Hardly! They were _MECH_ Agents. And Jack certainly didn't kill them!" Ratchet scoffed, finding it hard to believe that Jack would kill anyone. He didn't notice the looks Raf, Miko and Arcee were giving each other, nor did he notice the pained look on Optimus' faceplate. A look that vanished when said Prime addressed him.

"Contact Agent Fowler."

_NSA Headquarters, Fort Mead, Maryland..._

Fowler stormed through the main doors of the NSA building, only paying slight attention to the people around him as he made his way to an elevator. He was pissed.

No, he was _PISSED!_

Someone had gone over his head, and he didn't like it when that happened. The fact that someone had dared make a move against Jack without first going through him was the first thing that ticked him off.

Since Jack was part of Team Prime, he was technically under Fowler's jurisdiction, and second; Those had NOT been Government Agents, they had been MECH, and MECH was not, nor had it ever been, a legitimate branch of the Government. And third; Jack would never kill anyone, well, no _human_.

He'd heard from Arcee that Jack had been forced to kill Zod, though the exact specifics were unknown to him, he had a feeling that Jack's two week absence was something important, but he was being kept out of the loop, but right now, that didn't matter.

As he approached the elevator, his phone rang. Taking it out of his pocket, he paused and sighed, he'd been expecting this from the moment he'd heard the radio broadcast on his way back to the Agency. He'd been expecting, and dreading this.

"Fowler here," he answered.

"_Agent Fowler,"_ Came the deep voice of the Prime. _"Why has your Government issued a warrant for Jack's capture?"_

"That's what I'm here to find out Prime. You just keep an eye on Jack." Fowler replied. "Somebody's making a huge mistake here."

"_Dude! You got THAT right!"_ Miko called out, Fowler resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"_Besides, Jack was_PROTECTING_us! They can't string him up for that!"_ she continued.

"I hope you're right Miko, but right now, the best thing you can do is keep an eye on Jack for me. Listen, I'm almost at Waller's office, I'll call you back when I'm done here." And with that he hung up.

It didn't take him long to reach the office with the name "DIR. A. WALLER." printed on it.

He knocked firmly on the door.

Amanda Waller looked up from the forms she was filling out as the door opened, and William Fowler walked in, not looking happy. Waller inwardly smirked, she'd been expecting this.

"Special Agent Fowler, what can I do for you?" she asked cordially. Fowler got straight to the point.

"Amanda. What in the name of Lincoln's Beard are you _DOING?!"_

Waller stared at him firmly.

"What you _failed_ to do Bill. You should have brought him in the _second_ you found out about him, his sister too."

Fowler's eyes narrowed. "Where's June?"

"She's secure." Amanda replied smoothly.

"And what the HELL did you mean by 'Government Agents'? The Soldiers that attacked that train were MECH! NOT ours! They were _terrorists!_ They were trying to steal the DYNGUS the Autobots were helping me transport, after MECH had _already_ made a grab for it! Did you even _READ _my report?!" he was almost shouting as he finished.

"Yes. I read it. And as to your question; Colonel Leland Bishop has been re-instated, and MECH have been drafted in to help us develop new weapons and technology capable of leveling the playing field between _us_ and _them._"

"I don't believe what I'm hearing!" Fowler yelled. He honestly couldn't believe the stupidity of this woman. Re-instating Silas? _Trusting_ him?

"Jack was only on that train because he and his colleagues were the only ones on-hand who could repair the DYNGUS after MECH damaged it. And when Bishop's people attacked, _killing_ the soldier guarding the DYNGUS that _I_ assigned, _THEN_ they attempted to kill Mr. Esquivel and Miss Nakadai. Bishop had ordered to leave no witnesses." Fowler challenged.

Waller's eyes narrowed. "Then he's guilty of Manslaughter at the very _least_, Murder in the First Degree at most."

"It was _Self Defense!"_ Fowler snapped, glaring at her. "You want _PROOF?! FINE!_ I'll have Ratchet bridge Miko and Rafael here right now."

"Then you would have to go on record and say _WHY_ you willingly put 3 children on a Military Convoy Bill." She smiled smugly.

"The DYNGUS was damaged, and would have melted down by the time the train reached its destination point. We didn't have time to bridge in the repair team, so instead—" Waller cut him off.

"So instead, you gave a _12 year old_ access to highly classified Military equipment. Looks like June might not be the only one standing trial."

Fowler glared at her. "Raf is one of the best people to work with computers _In. This. Country._ He's gone up against _Soundwave_ for cryin' out loud! He was the only one on hand with access to a Ground Bridge who could fix the DYNGUS and stop it from melting down."

Waller's eyes narrowed again. "Then Mr. Esquivel and Miss Nakadai are _also_ guilty of willingly harboring a threat to this country, if not this planet."

Fowler's eyes were hard as he glared at the NSA Director. "You go anywhere _near_ those two, and you'll not only have to go through _ME_, but the 'Bots _and _Kara as well." He growled, he didn't mention Krypto, he thought he'd leave that detail out, in case Waller _WAS_stupid enough to try that.

Waller just smiled. "What do you think _MECH_ is for?"

Fowler glared at her. "Where. Is. June." He growled.

"You think I'm going to let _you_ near her?"

"She's an American Citizen! A Civilian!" Fowler snapped.

"She's also guilty of harboring not just _One,_ but _TWO _major threats not only to our country but to this planet."

"Kara hasn't done anything!" Fowler retaliated.

"Not yet. And you're forgetting the fact that at least Jack and Kara, and maybe the Autobots as well, have access to advanced technology that they aren't willing to share with the rest of us," she replied.

"You know Optimus Prime's stance on sharing their technology."

"I'm not talking about _Their_ technology!" Waller yelled, finally standing and getting in Fowler's face. "Although MECH has made significant progress in acquiring Cybertronian Technology, I'm talking about the mysterious object that vanished from beneath the ice-sheet just off the north coast of Ellesmere Island 500 miles south of the North Pole just before General Zod's arrival."

Fowler blinked, trying to remember the event, then it clicked. The mysterious object that Starscream had tried to excavate using the Telescope Lens he'd stolen. From what he'd heard from the bots, a large ship, though nowhere near as large as the _Nemesis_, had punched its way through the half melted ice sheet, and had flown off in a South-Easterly direction.

From the look on his face, Waller guessed what he was thinking.

"Yes Bill, I'm talking about _THAT_ ship. The Autobots weren't the only ones who saw it break free of the ice, but we lost track of it after it started moving. And it's clear the Decepticons don't know where it is."

"What makes you think Jack and Kara know anything about it?" Fowler demanded angrily.

Waller sighed and rubbed her eyes, she was getting tired of this.

"_Because..._Not _One Day_ after that ship surfaces, Zod shows up. And _then,_ two weeks after Zod's ship is destroyed, Kara suddenly shows up seemingly out of nowhere. It doesn't take a 12 year old genius to realize she and that ship from Ellesmere Island are linked, which means that ship is _Kryptonian!_" she yelled.

"There's no _telling_ what kind of weapons are on that ship! What offensive Capabilities it has! Do you have any idea what we could learn from it?" she snapped.

"Even if you're right, don't you think they've kept quiet about it for a _reason?!_Earth _ISN'T READY_ for that kind of tech! And did you see the reports of the survey done on that Ice sheet? The ice surrounding that ship was estimated to being somewhere between 18 to _20 THOUSAND YEARS OLD!_Which means that ship was there on the ocean floor before the glacier was! Whatever tech it has, it's bound to be Obsolete by even _Kryptonian_ standards."

"But could _still_ be useful to us!" Waller snapped.

"That's NOT your call to make!"

"Wrong. And as for the ship, we'll let the Tech boys at MECH's new Labs figure it out. And if June doesn't know where it is, Jack will." She then pressed a button on her desk, and the door opened, and two security guards entered.

"Please show Agent Fowler out."

"Don't _bother._" Fowler growled as he shrugged the men off and turned to leave. "I know the way."

"Oh and Fowler," Waller said, causing the Agent to freeze at the door, "Say hello to Mother for me, will you?" she asked innocently.

Fowler glared at her from the doorway, "You're starting to become a real pain in my aft sis," and promptly slammed the door behind himself.

As the door closed behind him, he started walking briskly to the elevator, he pulled out his phone and pressed the speed-dial. It rang for a few seconds before connecting.

"Prime, we need to talk,"

_Autobot HQ…_

Fowlers voice crackled over the terminal_ "Prime, we need to talk,"_

"We are here Agent Fowler," Optimus said, approaching the terminal.

_"What about Jack and Kara?"_

"No sign of them since the news report," Arcee replied, rubbing her arm.

At that exact moment, there was a low rumble, and a section of the bases roof exploded outward. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling, and the entire base looked up in time to see Jack and Kara rocket down towards the ground, both of them cracking the floor as they landed.

_"What was that?" _Fowler asked as the two teens stood.

"That, was Jack and Kara," Starscream deadpanned, brushing a chunk of dust off his armor.

"_That's not good, not good at all," _Fowler said.

"Fowler, where is my mother?" Jack growled angrily.

"_Jack," _Fowler started, his voice sounding frantic,_ "look, things aren't so hot over here. Amanda really overstepped her boundaries with what she's done, and if I were to guess, you have five, maybe ten minutes before you have US forces busting your bases door down," _

"I seriously doubt that Fowler," Ratchet started, "the US military would never-"

_"It's not the US military you old bucket of bolts!" _Fowler screamed angrily.

Ratchet was too taken aback by Fowlers sudden outburst to be offended, _"It's MECH, Waller reinstated our old buddy Silas and MECH as a new department to deal with extra-terrestrial activities, and right now Autobot HQ is dead in their sites!"_

The entire base was silent.

"T-they can't do that," Raf said quietly, "Can they?"

"No, they can't" Kara said, "Terrorists can only be pardoned by the President herself, Waller has not only overstepped her boundaries, but overstepped the constitution itself,"

_"Doesn't matter at the moment," _Fowler said, _"MECH's goons will be knocking on bot doors any minute, I recommend-"_ the transmission was cut off.

"Ratchet, what happened?" Optimus asked.

The medic servos were flying over the terminal, "Something is jamming all external communication systems and our sensors, all we have left is internal systems,"

Optimus narrowed his optics, "They're coming,"

There was a murmur of worry as everyone looked amongst each other worried. If MECH really was going to invade the base to get to Jack, they'd have to fight. And one of the main Autobot rules was no killing of humans.

Everyone but Jack seemed worried about this, and the teen clenched his fist before stepping forward, "Let them come," he growled.

The murmurs stopped and everyone looked to Jack, "Let them come, I'll fight them off, send them packing back to Silas,"

Arcee looked to her boyfriend with a worried expression, "Jack, you don't kill, you swore to never kill again, that's the only way to send them home,"

He grit his teeth and glanced at her, "Arcee, they took my mother, twice. I can't let them get away with that,"

"While it is true that MECH cannot be allowed to go unpunished for their actions, they are now a government group," Optimus pointed out, giving Jack a stern look.

"To fight them would only worsen your current situation," at that moment the base shook, and the sound of welding could be heard emanating from the tunnel. MECH was coming.

Jack looked at Optimus, "What now Optimus? They're going to break through any minute,"

"We'll fight them off kid," Bulkhead said, slamming his fist together for emphasis, "Buy you some time to get out of here and clear your name,"

"While I would not normally agree with the wrecker," Starscream said, Bulkhead shooting him a look which he promptly ignored, "I do believe that you should be given a chance to prove your innocence. I will stay to buy you time,"

Optimus and Ratchet, "As will we,"

Bee stepped forward and beeped out a similar answer.

Jack looked at the bots in shock, "You guys… You shouldn't, who know what MECH could do to you, I'm not worth it,"

"Dude, you've been helping the bots for months!" Miko said, running up to her friend.

"But they shouldn't sacrifice themselves for my sake," Jack protested.

"Jack," Arcee started, looking up at him on the platform, "You could protest that you're not worth it all you like," she smiled, "But we'd still stay regardless,"

"We will stay Arcee," Optimus said, putting a servo on Voids shoulder, "But you and Void shall go with Jack and Kara, to ensure their safety,"

Arcee nodded, she wasn't going to protest an order that specifically told her to protect the one she loved. In fact, odds were that she'd have gone with Jack even if Optimus hadn't ordered her. Void on the other hand, was different.

She looked to her lover, narrowing her optics, "I will not abandon you to the humans Optimus," she whispered harshly.

The Prime gave her a harsh look, "Do not argue with me over this Void, this is something bigger than us. MECH won't hurt us, not while Jack is still free,"

Void opened her mouth to protest, "Please Void?"

She looked at his pleading optics and cursed, "I couldn't get over your sparkling eyes then Optimus, and I can't now," she smiled faintly, "Fine, I'll go,"

Optimus smiled and mouthed his thanks. Void simply nodded faintly and walked in front of the bridge, transforming, "Come little one, we must move quickly,"

Kara looked to Jack reluctantly, "Kara, go. Arcee and I will go after you okay?"

She still looked reluctant, but nodded and gave him a quick hug, "Be safe brother,"

Jack smiled as Kara flew towards Void, and got on. She revved her engine once, and drove through the bridge, disappearing to parts unknown. Ratchet punched in a series of random coordinates and reopened the bridge.

Jack flew over and landed next to Arcee, who was in her vehicle mode. He looked back to the bots, "Thank you… all of you,"

He was going to say more, when a loud boom echoed from the hall, and the sound of vehicles roaring down the hall could be heard, "No time for goodbyes Jack, go!" Bulkhead ordered.

Jack nodded, and hopped onto to Arcee, who gunned it. Her front wheel lifted off the ground as she roared forward into the bridge. As she and Jack went through the bridge, the elevator doors opened, and a dozen MECH soldiers poured out, rifles pointed at the bots and kids.

From the tunnel, several humvees and tanks rolled in, all decked out in MECH color schemes. MECH soldiers were all scattered between them, their standard EMP rifles, which every bot had some experience with, held at the ready, a low hum emanating from them.

The Autobots stood, weapons drawn and pointed at this large battalion of soldiers, unwavering. They weren't going to just let them take them, but with the children here as well, they may not have a choice in the matter.

"Now now, there's no reason for that Optimus," the voice of Silas said calmly.

The soldiers on the platform parted, allowing him, and another, to walk to the edge of the platform, ignoring the glares from Miko and Raf. Silas himself was dressed in his usual attire, but the man behind him was dressed in a formal suit with pitch black shades. His attire screamed bodyguard, and he moved with a surreal fluidity, as if he weren't entirely human.

Optimus glared at Silas through his battle mask, "What reason are you here Silas?" he demanded angrily

A sick smile spread across the man's face, "Oh you know why Optimus Prime," he looked around the base, "Where is young Jack? I have a warrant for his arrest,"

"He's not here you fragging monster!" Miko screamed at him.

"Quiet you little brat!" one of the soldiers ordered, slamming the butt of his rifle on her head. With a pained grunt, the girl fell to the ground unconscious.

"Miko!" Bulkhead snarled angrily and attempted to charge towards Silas, only for Screamer and Bee to hold him back.

"Bulkhead, stand down!" Optimus ordered, though he'd moved his blaster to point directly at Silas.

Silas let out a laugh, "A little protective are we?" Optimus armed his blaster, the weapon letting out a low hum.

Silas rolled his eyes, "I'll ask once more, were is Jack, Optimus?"

"He is not here," Optimus growled.

Silas sighed, "Very well," he turned and started to walk away.

"Arrest them, for aiding a wanted fugitive,"

The Autobots moved to react, but the barrage of EMP blasts was too much. In seconds, the four bots fell to the ground, quickly losing consciousness. Silas simply smiled as the four were knocked out. Everything was going according to plan.

Of course, no one noticed the white dog the snuck out of base. Krypto was going to find his master, keep him safe if he had too. These evil men would regret the day they ever attacked his masters pack...

**A/N: Apologies for a short chapter, though the next one will be short as well. After the next chapter, things will start to get better, but in the meantime, send all death threats via PM please. And once more, props to GoA for help with this chapter. Now, onto the other subject at hand, the stories. Currently the martian story is in the lead, and if you want to change it, vote on the poll. Anyway, remember to review with critique, or PM me with new ideas or questions, I'll try to answer them. Bye!**

**Current votes:**

**Transformers Prime/ DC Crossover June and Jack are White Martians: 5 Votes**

**Transformers Prime/ Green Lantern Crossover: 4 Votes**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Separation

_Unknown Location…_

A lone rider on his blue motorcycle raced over the empty road somewhere in the Midwestern United States, his face obscured by the silver helmet he wore. The dusty road stretched on endlessly across the golden landscape as the sun slowly set over head, casting a timeless light over the entire area.

Despite the natural beauty of the landscape, the rider ignored it all, his mind racing as he tried to grasp everything that had happened. His mother had been arrested, he was a wanted fugitive, MECH was a legitimate government branch, and the Autobots had more than likely been arrested for helping him and his sister escape.

Jack resisted the urge to tighten his grip, knowing that he'd hurt Arcee on accident if he did. Still, he was angry, his entire life was falling apart, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. This wasn't a situation he could solve alone, but no one else could help him either. To say Jack was feeling tense would have been quite the understatement.

Ordinarily, riding with Arcee would have been enough to help ease some of his tension, but even that wasn't enough at the moment. Arcee could tell too, and decided they'd been riding long enough. She turned onto a small side road and began following it.

They didn't go far before it came to a small stop on a small platform overlooking a canyon. A brown rail surrounded the edge, likely to keep tourist from falling in, and several faded signs detailing the location lined the railing. The actual parking lot behind the platform seemed disused and was heavily cracked, weeds poking through them in an attempt to survive.

Jack got off Arcee, who transformed to robot mode while he took off his helmet. He stepped onto the platform walking forward. His helmet fell out of his hand and bounced against the ground, rolling away from the troubled teen. Jack gripped the railing hunched over, the metal slowly bending under his grip.

Arcee knelt down behind him, concern in her optics. She'd walk up behind him, but wasn't sure if the platform could support her weight. Her mass shifter had been left at base, so for now she was stuck at her standard size, unable to comfort him like she wanted.

"It's all my fault Arcee," Jack said, not looking at her, "Mom, the bots, us. We're all on the run or in prison because of me,"

The rail was completely compressed by his grip now, and his teeth were grinding together, "What kind of hero am I? I can't even protect the people I care about!"

Arcee narrowed her optics, she'd heard enough. She leaned forward and turned Jack around to face her, a stern look on her faceplate, "Enough with this self pity scrap Jack!" she ordered, causing him to blink back in shock. Arcee rarely yelled at him anymore.

"Yes things are bad, yes they seem to be getting only worse, yes part of it is your fault!" she was starting to get angry, but she had a point to make.

She pointed a slender servo at his face, inches away from him, "But don't _ever _question yourself like that! You have saved the Earth on at least two or three occasions, anyone who knows you knows that you would do anything to keep the people you care about safe!"

Her gaze softened slightly, "I know things look rough right now Jack, but now isn't the time to go blaming yourself. We've handled worse situations, but if we're going to get through this you need to stop blaming yourself,"

Her rant finished, the femme gazed at him, waiting for a response from the teen. After several moments of silence, he spoke, "You're right Arcee, I can't blame myself, not now,"

His face hardened into a look of determination, "Right now, we need to find a way to clear my name, and we need to regroup with Void and Kara,"

"A cunning plan Mr. Darby,"

Jack and Arcee froze at the sound of the voice, "No," he whispered, "No way they found us that fast,"

Silas chuckled as a small battalion of tanks, infantrymen, and helicopters pulled out surrounding them, "Ordinarily you'd be right Jack, but once we took over your old base, finding you and your sister was easy as could be,"

Arcee shifted her servos to blasters, aiming them at Silas, "What did you do with the others you heartless piece of slag!" she demanded, her faceplate the picture of rage.

Silas put his hands up in a calming gesture, "Arcee calm yourself, we're with the government now, that means that for now, your teammates are safe… and locked in a high security jail cell miles away,"

The femme glared at him, her blasters humming loudly. Silas just smirked, "We're not going to hurt you or the boy Arcee, just arrest you, after all. He did kill three of my men,"

"That was in self defense," Jack protested, "they were going to kill Miko and Raf and you know it you piece of slag," he growled.

Silas shrugged, "Tomato tomatoe, regardless, you're still coming with us,"

Arcee put herself between Jack and the battalion, "You'll have to get through me first," she snarled.

Silas laughed, "Easy enough," he placed a hand to his ear, "Teams three and four, fire"

There was a sound of a shot, and two wires fired from the overhead helicopters, wrapping around both Arcee's arms. She struggled against them as the choppers pulled them tight with a metallic twang, spreading her arms apart. An electric shock traveled down the wires, and Arcee screeched in pain as it arched through her chassis.

"Arcee!" Jack moved to help her.

The femme shoved him away with her pede, a few tears of pain escaping her optics. She'd faced worse physical pain, but what she was about to do hurt more "Jack, go leave, run!" she ordered.

"No!" Jack yelled, slashing his hand through the air, "I'm not leaving you, not now,"

Arcee fell to one of her knees, "Jack, GO! I'll buy you time, it's you they're after, not me,"

Jack didn't budge, a determined look on his face, "You can't fight them, it'll make the situation worse!" she screamed. He still didn't move.

Arcee mentally asked him for forgiveness, "I. Said. GO!" with that, she kicked her pede forward, launching Jack through the rail. He let out a surprised yelp as he plummeted to the ground.

With but a thought, he stopped falling and launched back up into the air. He rocketed above the mass of men that had surrounded Arcee, looking at her with a wishful gaze. He could save her easy, tear the tanks and helicopters apart. But that would only make the situation worse in the end. Jack needed to find some way to clear his name, to free his friends legally.

Clenching his eyes, he turned away from the scene, ignoring the yelling of army men, the thrum of the choppers, and the sound of Arcee's screams. Instead he shot into the air away from the scene, shattering the sound barrier. His only hope was that things were going better for his sister and Void…

_Elsewhere…_

"Come on Void, can't you go any faster!?" Kara urged as her guardian raced down the streets, the sound of helicopters fast approaching behind them.

"Little one, if I could go faster, we would not be in danger of being captured by crazy humans!" said Void rather angrily as she drove off road. Kara's teeth rattled as their ride suddenly became much bumpier

When they'd first emerged from the bridge, they'd started off down the empty freeway, only passing the occasional car. This had lasted for about ten minutes before a ground bridge had opened in front of them, and dozens of vehicles emerged, chasing after them while ordering them to surrender.

This had confirmed Kara's fears, that MECH had used the bridge to track her and possible her brother. Now she was on the run from them, but they were gaining. The helicopters had shown up about five minutes into the chase, keeping speed with her guardian easily. Now that they were off road, they might be able to lose the ground vehicles.

Kara grimaced as a bolt of energy slammed next to them, fired from the choppers. She could destroy them, but not without killing the occupants or abandoning Void, both of which she was reluctant to do. Like Kal, she wasn't a killer, and she never abandoned her friends.

Two more blasts impacted in front of them, forcing Void to skid to a stop. She let out a growl, "Off," she ordered.

Kara nodded and quickly dismounted, allowing the femme to transform to her full massive size, blasters armed. She narrowed her platinum optics as their pursuers neared, and put a pede in front of Kara.

Without looking down, she said, "Flee now Kara, I will buy you time,"

"No," Kara protested, "I'm not going to abandon you, let me-"

"You won't kill, you refuse to," Void pointed out, interrupting her charge, "And even if you did, it would only worsen your situation at the moment, flee now and I will by you time,"

"But I-" Kara started.

"No, you must go now!" the femme ordered.

Kara looked at her reluctantly and nodded. She didn't want to abandon her, but she knew that the femme had a point. She started to fly off into the air, before stopping and turning to Void.

"If you manage to get away, meet up north by the border," she said.

Void nodded and turned to face the oncoming horde. Kara gave her one last forlorn look before she flew into the air. Once she was out of site, Void grit her denta. She hadn't told Kara, but she wouldn't kill the humans either. The situation was too delicate for her too, it would make things worse for the bots.

She smirked, but that didn't mean she couldn't break a few bones. As the group finally came upon her, she charged at them. Her only thought, was that Kara managed to get away safely…

_Up North…_

Malthanis lowered his blade, admiring his hard work. For over a month the angel had slaved away at carving a temple into the mountainside using his powers. For over a month he'd made slow progress until the temple gleamed like the spiraling towers of the High Heavens. And now, he was finished.

The outer entrance was carved of shining granite, two pillars holding the ledge over the massive entrance, which was sealed shut with two massive stone doors. A large polished stone rested in the center of the doors, reflecting the light from the sun in a dazzling display. Inside he knew it was a simple large hall, nothing more, nothing less. He did not need anymore.

The young angel looked down at his armor, and mentally sighed. So busy he'd been, that he didn't notice the filth and grime that had begun to cover it. It would take several hours to clean it, a dull but necessary process. When a being whose skin was crafted of steel needed to clean their armor, there was little they could do but complain.

Malthanis made his way up the steps into the temple, and his thoughts once more drifted to Kara and her brother Kal. He had heard nothing from them or seen them since the incident with the mortal's flying aircraft. During that time, he continuously thought about the two, or more specifically Kara.

The girl was different from the mortals he'd seen before. True she still regarded him with awe, but almost a sense of respect or sympathy, emotions he wasn't use to receiving in the heavens. True the Seraphim under his command respected him, but those that were not had regarded him as a young upstart, nothing more, nothing less.

The fact that the girl didn't treat him that way was a breath of fresh air for him. He only wished he could talk to her more. She was an interesting person to talk to. But Kara and her brother had their own duties to attend to, so the odds were slim the two would meet again.

Malthanis stopped at the large door as he suddenly heard something. A low whooshing sound, a sound he'd only heard once before. He turned in the direction of the sound, it couldn't be, he was far north, and she was…

At that moment, the form of Kara crashed through the forest that surrounded his temple, leaving a deep gash in the ground. When she finally skid to a stop, she let out a weak moan and dragged herself out of the crater. Her civilian clothes were covered in burns bullet holes and other materials, suggesting she'd been fighting for her life.

Malthanis didn't even think, he flew down to Kara's side kneeling next to her and shielding her with one of his wings. The teen looked up at the angel with weary eyes, "Malthanis?" she asked, her voice weak and trembling.

**"It is I Kara, but how did this happen to you?" **he asked, keeping his voice gentle.

Kara smiled weakly, "Well, let's just say that things back home haven't been going well," her eyes fluttered weakly.

Inwardly frowning, Malthanis placed a finger to her lip, keeping her quiet** "Rest for now, when you have regained your strength, you may explain everything to me,"**

Kara nodded and the angel lifted her with ease, bringing her into his temple…

_Later…_

"And I haven't been able to find Kal since," Kara finished. She was laying on a small couch that Malthanis had liberated from the ownership of a handful of thieves.

The original owners had been killed by them, and Malthanis had distributed swift justice. Now the plain whit couch lay in his temple, where Kara lay on it. After she'd rested for a short time, she'd explained everything that had happened to Malthanis since he'd left. When she'd finished, the angel couldn't help but feel guilty for what had happened. Had he not been with Kara, perhaps that Decepticon wouldn't have attacked her, and she and her brother wouldn't be on the run.

He decided to voice these thoughts **"I feel as though this is partly my fault Kara, had I not run into you on that day, perhaps things would have gone more fairly for you and your kin,"**

Kara sat up, "Mal, even if we'd never met you, things would've gone south anyway, the key now is to find a way to fix the situation,"

Malthanis nodded and stood from his kneeling position, **"I agree. Justice **_**will **_**be served," **his sword and shield materialized in his hands, **"This Waller and Silas must be punished for their sins,"**

He turned to leave the temple, when he felt Kara's hand on his shoulder pad. He turned his empty hood to gaze at her, "Malthanis, if you kill Silas and Waller, it won't fix the situation, in fact it'll make it worse. Here in this world, taking the law into your own hands tends to make things worse,"

Malthanis stared at her, **"And yet you expect me to simply wait here while this so called justice system hunts down your brother? Who I know for a fact is not guilty of unjust murder," **his voice was almost mocking, and he immediately regretted it.

Kara had a hurt look on her face from his harsh words. The angel turned fully to face her, his weapons dissipating into vapor. He placed his hands on her shoulders, **"If you wish for me to not go after these people, then I won't," **he said.

Kara smiled, "Thank you. But could you at least look for my brother? I'm worried about him,"

Malthanis nodded and looked out the large doors into the clear skies, **"I shall, and when I do, I will bring him here,"**

Kara embraced him in a hug, much to his surprise, and let out a happy sob of relief, "Thank you Mal, you have no idea how much that means to me," she said, and tightened her hug.

The two stood like that for a moment before the girl realized what she was doing and let go, her face turning a faint red. Malthanis had a feeling that if he'd been in his human disguise, he'd be matching hers.

She coughed nervously, "I'll… just wait here," she said, jerking her thumb to the couch.

Malthanis nodded, **"Good idea, I'll return with your brother as soon as possible," **

With that said, the two went their separate ways, Kara seating herself on the couch, Malthanis walking to the doorway. He stopped at the entrance and spread his wings, letting the sun glint off his armor. He wasn't sure he'd be able to find Kal, but he had to try. For Kara's sake.

With a swift flap of his wings, he lifted into the air and began the long search for Kal-El…

_Unknown Location…_

Arcee slowly felt her optics go back online as she awoke from her induced stasis. She quickly realized she was strapped to a large metal table, metal cuffs holding her arms and legs splayed apart in a large X. She struggled against them weakly, and found they wouldn't budge. Great.

Sighing, the femme decided to survey her current area, figure out where she was. Looking up from the floor, she found she was in an empty warehouse that appeared very poorly lit. Well, it was empty, but she wasn't alone. The rest of the Autobots were in similar positions as hers, unconscious for now.

"Guys!" she yelled, hoping to stir them from recharge. No such luck.

A familiar dark voice chuckled from the shadows, "I wouldn't bother Arcee," said Silas as he emerged from the shadows, dramatic as ever.

Arcee glared at the man, a glare he promptly ignored, "You see, we only woke you because honestly, you're our favorite test subject,"

"Test subject!?" she demanded indignantly. Of all the no good little…

"Well," Silas explained, a large grin evident on his face, "You are the one bot who seems to keep falling into our clutches, aren't you?"

Arcee narrowed her optics, "What do you want Silas?" she demanded, tired of his mocking.

"It's not what I want Arcee," Silas said, "But what America wants. You Autobots have selfishly hidden your technology from us long enough, time for us to finish what we should have started all those-"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Waller demanded slamming open a door.

Silas turned to her with an innocent look on his face, "Why Waller, what a surprise, I was just welcoming our guest-"

Waller stormed over to the man and decked him, knocking him on his aft, "Save it Silas, I know what you were planning, I'm not stupid," Silas glared at the woman as he rubbed his jaw.

"You yourself said that we needed new technology to combat the Kryptonian threat," Silas countered as he got up, "I was going to find said technology,"

Waller glared at him, "Torturing prisoners is illegal Silas, and while I'd ordinarily ignore something so trivial, we're on thin ice right now since we haven't been able to get a hold of said Kryptonians,"

"I was just-"

He stopped as Waller shoved a finger in his face, "You're supposed to be contacting Superboy to bring him to us, now get on it, or I'll have you arrested!"

The two glared at each other, and Arcee watched with rapt attention, unsure of who to root for. She decided Waller, since she did just punch Silas, something she'd wanted to do for a long time.

Silas snorted and walked off, "Fine, I'll go contact Jack," he growled.

Arcee smiled faintly, while her situation was less than perfect, seeing Silas get torn down like that definitely brightened her day. The only thing that would make it better would be if she wasn't being bound by the cuffs.

Waller let out a sigh and turned to Arcee, "I know that Silas did a lot of things that probably made you angry," she started.

Arcee snorted, "Understatement of the century lady," she growled.

Waller ignored her comment, "But know that I only brought him back to do what was best for my country,"

Arcee glared at the woman, unable to believe what she was hearing, "If you wanted to do what was best for your country, you'd have arrested Silas when you had the chance,"

"Silas maybe a threat," Waller said, "But you Autobots and your alien friends are a far bigger threat. If you were to turn on us, what would be able to stop you from tearing us apart?"

Arcee gave her a 'seriously?' look, "Waller, if the bots had wanted to take over Earth, why would we be risking our necks out there every day to make sure the cons don't do exactly what you're afraid of? We're not your enemy, neither are Jack and his sister. We only want to help,"

Waller looked at Arcee with a blank look, her face completely unreadable. Her face suddenly hardened and she turned on her heel walking out. Once she was gone, Arcee let out a sigh, she'd hoped to get to the woman, but it seemed her words had fallen on deaf ears. All she could do now, was hope that Jack found a way to turn this mess around.

Arcee looked up, _"Please Jack," _she thought, _"Hurry,"_

_Northeast…_

Jack sat on the edge of the cliff, one leg casually hanging off the edge, the other pulled up to his chest. After he'd been forced to abandon Arcee, he'd quickly lost MECH, moving far too fast for them to keep up with or track with radar. He'd fled over the states and as far as he could tell, was somewhere in the northeast, maybe New York State, he wasn't sure.

What he was sure of, was that the Arcee was taken from him, locked away in some sort of MECH prison. He knew that he shouldn't have left her behind, but he hadn't had a choice. If he'd stayed, they both would have been captured. The best he could do now, was to try and save her from MECH by clearing his name.

Jack let out a frustrated growl, "But how am I suppose to do that!?" he yelled to the sky.

He stood up and paced anxiously, pounding at his head, "Come on Darby, think!"

"You're the only one who can save them, Kara is Primus knows where, the Autobots are under arrest, and you mom is in federal custody. _You _have to fix it, so think!" he growled and stomped his foot, causing the ground to shake.

He sighed and crossed his arms, "Alright, here's what you know so far: You're wanted for the murder of three MECH agents. According to Kara, that isn't legal, it's in the constitution. But to prove that, you'd need access to resources and files you don't have to prove that MECH wasn't working for the government at the time," he let out a frustrated yell.

"This isn't getting me anywhere!" he yelled at the sky.

He scowled and was about to start talking to himself, when a high pitched whine entered his ear, "Gah!" he yelled, covering his ears. It felt like someone was drilling into his head from both ears, and they were meeting in the middle.

_"I know you can hear me Jack," _Silas said, his disembodied voice echoing around him, _"You're the only thing on two legs that can hear me, so I'm going to make this quick,"_

Jack snarled angrily, but did nothing, instead letting the man speak, _"We are willing to strike up a bargain young Jack. You for the freedom of your mother and the Autobots. Meet us on top of the atop the Metlife building in New York in one hour, or we'll take your silence as a no," _and like that, the whine stopped.

Jack let his hands drop from his ears, and kneeled on his feet, his mind racing. His life, for the others, give up himself, and they'd go free. They might hurt him, force him to work for them… but his friends would be free. Jack clenched his fists and looked up at the sky.

It was covered in thick angry storm clouds, thunder booming ominously in the distance. Odds are it would start raining soon, but it wouldn't matter. He knew what he had to do. Jack stood up, still looking at the sky, and closed his eyes.

A low rumble rolled through the Earth, loose earth lifting off the ground around him. The teen crouched his legs and opened his eyes. With a loud boom, he shot forward over the land, heading towards New York.

_"Hold on guys," _he thought _"I'm coming"_

**A/N: So sorry for not posting this yesterday, just had difficulty writing it yesterday, but I will try and write the next chapter and have it posted tomorrow, and trust me, it's gonna be BIG. But tell me, did you like the chapter, dislike, meh? Let me know in the reviews, or PM me even, I promise to respond. As for the poll, here's the results so far.**

**Transformers Prime/ Green Lantern Crossover: 15 Votes**

**Transformers Prime/ DC Crossover June and Jack are White Martians: 9 Votes**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Project Metallo

_Met Life Tower, New York City…_

The city of New York was covered in a sheet of thick, angry clouds, the sky painted a dull grey by their presence overhead. They had been like this all day, and a faint drizzle had begun to fall, coating the streets in a thin layer of water. An occasional gust of wind blew through the city, but besides that, a lethargic feeling hung from the city like a thick coat.

Yet despite this, the city was alive as ever, the distant sound of cars and traffic echoing through the streets. From atop the many gleaming skyscrapers, the people below appeared to be tiny ants, all ignoring the faint drizzle that coated their clothes in a fine dew. They had much more important things to do then be bothered by a little water.

One such group was currently exiting two helicopters that had parked atop the Met Life building. A total of six passengers emerged from the forest green vehicles, and assembled in a loose grouping off the main platform, waiting in silence. Two of the passengers were dressed in dark green body armor, with a pair of illuminated goggles secured over their masks that obscured their faces. They held June Darby between them, their hands wrapped firmly around her upper arms.

The other, was a man dressed in similar armor, but whose face was scarred and visible to all. A man with platinum hair dressed in business casual, and wearing shades of all things, held an umbrella over his head. Silas and his mysterious bodyguard smirked at June as she glared at him, her hair already starting clump from the drizzle.

"So June, I take it you enjoyed the flight?" Silas asked mockingly.

The woman narrowed her eyes, "When my son gets here Silas, you will be in a world of hurt, I don't care what position of power you have now," she threatened.

Silas chuckled, "I doubt that highly June, you didn't honestly believe we'd have called this deal without some insurance, did you?" he asked.

June blinked, suddenly unsure of herself. The look passed and resumed glaring at him, "Holding me prisoner isn't enough to blackmail Jack, he'd figure out a way to free me,"

A faint smile crossed Silas's face, "June, what made you think that we intended to blackmail him?"

"Enough," Waller ordered, cutting off June from questioning Silas.

The head of the NSA looked at Silas, "We have enough to deal with at the moment Silas without you instigating June. I would prefer a peaceful exchange," she stated.

Silas laughed and nodded, "Of course Waller, my lips are sealed," to prove his point, he pulled his index finger and thumb tightly across his lips in a zipping motion.

Waller inwardly sighed and looked back out over the sky. She was seriously growing tired of the man's attitude, and was starting to have doubts about his usefulness. Only the next few minutes would determine if the man was worth trusting. If things went south, Silas would be relieved of his power over MECH.

She certainly hoped things didn't go south, as that would likely mean that a good chunk of the city would be left in ruins. Not something that would look good to the president or the public in general. It would be for the best if things went smoothly.

Of course, things had to get going before they could even start in a direction. And at the moment, it seemed that Jack wasn't going to make an appearance. Maybe Silas had made a mistake. Perhaps Jack couldn't hear as well as he claimed, or maybe he simply didn't care that they held his mother and friends.

Waller doubted that last one, from what she'd seen and read the teen was very protective of those close to him. It was both an admirable quality, and a great weakness. Waller herself had had someone close to her, but that was years ago. Now she had made certain to keep everyone, especially family, at a distance. Her position demanded it.

But now she was starting to wonder if she'd made a mistake doing what she'd done to the kid and the Autobots. They hadn't done anything wrong yet, in fact they were… Waller shook her head, clearing her mind of such thoughts. Her personal opinion wasn't important in this matter, only what made logical sense.

Waller's train of thought was derailed as a low boom echoed over the city, the guards around June looking in the direction of the sound.

"Thunder?" the one on the left asked.

June grinned, "Not quite," she said ominously.

As if on cue, a blue and red blur zipped rocketed over the city, a thin cone of water forming over the figure as it approached them at a frightening speed. Within seconds, the figure was nearly upon their position, and then…

There was a loud boom and splash as Jack came to a sudden stop at the edge of the roof, the cone that had formed around him splashing onto the concrete floor. The teen wore a determined look, his face appearing to have been carved from stone for all the emotion it showed. He softly touched down on the building and walked towards the group, his eyes continuously flicking to June.

He stopped a good five feet from the group, his cape fluttering in the breeze, his ebony hair plastered to his skull from the drizzle. Said drizzle was starting to escalate into a full on storm, and Waller was starting to wish she'd brought her own umbrella. Too late now though.

Waller took a few steps forward and extended a hand, "Jack, pleasure to meet you," she said.

The teen regarded her hand suspiciously and crossed his arms, the look on his face anything but friendly, "Why did you call me?" he demanded.

Waller let her hand drop, she'd expected this reaction, but it was no reason to forget her manners, "Straight to it huh?" she asked.

Jack narrowed his eyes. Waller quickly explained herself, "It's simple, in exchange for putting you under US custody, your mother and the Autobots will be freed," she told him.

"And my sister?" he demanded, "She won't be hunted anymore?"

"Well you see-" Waller started.

"No, she won't Jack," Silas said, stepping forward with his bodyguard, and ignoring the glare that Waller was giving him, "You see, you're in no place to bargain here, you either do what we say, or else,"

There was a rustle of wind, and suddenly Jack appeared in front of Silas, lifting him by the collar. The boy had grown since their last encounter, a good two inches taller, and more thickly built. That said, Silas was still a mountain of muscle compared to him.

Jack's eyes flashed red as he glared at him, "You better keep your mouth shut Silas, or I'll…I'll…" Jack let the man go and stumbled back, holding a hand to his head.

"What's the matter Jack?" Silas asked in mock concern, "Feeling a little green at the gills?"

Jack looked up at him while trying to steady himself, "What… what did you do?" he demanded weakly, his legs shaking slightly.

Waller noticed that June had started struggling against her guards and calling out to Jack, but ignored it. She wasn't a threat to anyone, best to just leave the woman be for now. She instead focused on the scene unfolding before her.

Silas nodded to his bodyguard, who dropped the umbrella and approached Jack. As he drew closer, the teen stumbled away, somehow affected by the man. Realization dawned on Waller, that man was the weapon MECH had been designing to fight Jack. Question was, how?

The man smirked, "Not so tough now, are ya kid?" he asked.

Jacks eyes widened, "Corbin?" he asked, confused, "I just threw you in prison two days ago!"

Corbin smiled, "That ya did, but you see, MECH came to me with quite the offer," he tossed his sunglasses aside, revealing pitch black eyes with acid green optics in the middle, "I join up with them,"

He pulled his shirt apart, revealing a faint green glow in the center of his chest, right where his sternum would be, "And I get a new body to beat snot out of you with!"

Corbin lunged at Jack, but underestimated the youths speed. Jack sprinted to the side, letting Corbin plow into a large air conditioner instead, the machine overloading and electrifying him. He screamed in pain as the energy coursed over his body, leaving strips of burnt flesh over his body.

It barely lasted half a minute before the shocking stopped, and he stepped backwards out of the large hole he'd made, his flesh sizzling from the burns. He looked to Jack, a burn mark running from the tip of his left eyebrow, and descending past his chin.

Corbin scratched at his chin, but appeared unaffected by his injuries, "Like I said kid, new body, new weapon to fight you with,"

Jack stepped back, his entire face having gone a sickly pale from the man simply nearing him. He suddenly clenched his fists and scowled, "New body?" he asked, "Let's see if it can fly,"

The teen suddenly rocketed into the air, quickly escaping from the group on the roof. Corbin chuckled, "Good luck with that kid," he said in a joking manner.

He looked up at Jack, and bent his knees; his entire body shaking as if he'd was building up energy. Then, with a loud boom, he jumped at Jack, leaving a crater in the floor as his body quickly met up with Jacks. The man grabbed hold of Jack by the cape, and yanked him down. He delivered a devastating haymaker into the teens face as he was pulled past him. A loud boom echoed from the impact, and Jack was sent flying straight towards the building. Straight towards the others.

"MOVE!" Waller ordered, motioning with her hands as she ran from the plummeting figure.

The group barely managed to get out of the way, just as Jack slammed into the roof with an echoing crash, the entire roof shaking from the impact. Dust and debris flew up around him, and Corbin rocketed into the cloud of dust. His landing shook the roof to a lesser degree, and the dust quickly cleared as rain began to pour from the heavens, making the ground go slick and revealing the two figures as they fought.

Corbin was delivering a string of devastating blows against Jack, the boy back stepping with each punch. Corbin had a sadistic look on his face as he pounded the teen, almost laughing as he slammed his fist into Jack's gut. Jack doubled over and fell to his knees, using his hands to hold himself steady.

Corbin circled him, casually cracking his neck, "Not so cocky now, are ya kid?" he asked snidely.

Still breathing heavily, Jack got to his feet and looked up at Corbin, a hard look in his eyes. Corbin froze at this look for but a brief moment, but it was all Jack needed. Clenching his right fist, Jack reared back and slammed it upwards into Corbin's chin, causing the man to stumble back. He brought his left fist back behind him, and slammed it into Corbin's face from the side, causing him to stumble back again.

Corbin straightened his position just in time to grab Jacks next blow, much to his shock. He seemed unaffected by the boy's attacks, "You see, one of the perks of a new body, is that I get a new skeleton too, this one happens to be made of Metallo, one of the toughest materials on the planet," Corbin slammed his knee into Jacks gut with a loud crack. Jack screamed out in pain, falling to his knees while Metallo held him up by his hand.

"Jack!" June cried, pulling against her guards to no avail.

Corbin grinned and gripped Jack by the throat, lifting him off the ground and into the air, "In fact, I like that name. John Corbin the robber is no more. Call me Metallo!"

He slammed Jacks face into the ground, and pulled his body through the roof, ripping up concrete and debris before finally flinging him to the edge of the building. Jack slowly pulled himself up using the wall that made up the edge of the wall, and glared defiantly at the newly named Metallo.

Metallo let out a roar of anger and charged at him, tackling Jack with the force of a locomotive. The two crashed through the wall and fell to the ground below. A moment later, a loud boom echoed through the city, and the ground shook.

Waller looked to the others, "Take us down to ground level,"

_Ground Level, New York City…_

Jack grunted in pain as he was thrown into a yellow sports car, flattening its engine compartment and setting off its alarm. To say that this fight was going poorly would have been the nice way of putting it. Metallo may not have been as strong as Zod or the other Kryptonians, but that chunk of kryptonite in his chest- it had to be, no other rock glowed like that- weakened Jack significantly.

Metallo laughed as he strolled towards Jack, water pouring off his scarred face as he approached him, "So much for the Superboy, I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart kid,"

Jack looked to the side to see a man cowering behind the sports car. He got up off the mangled front of the car and looked to him, "Hey," he said quickly, getting his attention, "Mind if I borrow this?" he asked, pointing at the car. The man shook his head no.

Metallo let out a roar and charged at Jack, who gripped either side of the car, "Thanks!" he yelled and flipped over backwards, car in hand. There was a loud crash as the vehicle slammed on top of Metallo, burying him under ground. Jack flew a fair distance away from the mangled wreck and shot a beam of heat vision at the gas tank.

That was all it took for the vehicle to erupt into flames, leaving a flaming piece of wreckage where Metallo had once been buried. Jack let out a relieved sigh and fell to his knees, blood dripping from several cuts that littered his face and body.

His victory was short lived though, as the remaining piece of wreckage shifted and was pushed to the side as Metallo emerged from the inferno, relatively unharmed. Relative was a relative term though, as skin on his upper body was nothing more than burnt flakes clinging to his shiny chassis. He looked like an armored skeleton forged of steel, the chunk of kryptonite clearly visible in his chest, and his eerie optics settled on Jack.

Metallo set his teeth in disturbing imitation of a smile, and stalked towards Jack with a confident air to him. Jack tried to get to his knees, but the kryptonite in his chest was too much for him to bear. He was exhausted; he had so little left to give in this fight.

Metallo stood in front of Jack and grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head back until his eyes were forced to stare at Metallo's, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this kid," he growled.

He punched Jack in the jaw, sending him flying up the steps to the MetLife building, and leaving a deep gash in the steps when he skidded through them. He groaned in pain and rolled onto his stomach, his eyesight distorted by the rain that kept pouring onto his face.

Even so, he thought he saw several figures standing a fair distance away from him. He quickly blinked and cleared his eyes before looking at them again. It was his mother and the others, watching the fight with rapt interest. Silas had a look similar to a wolf that was about to deliver the killing blow might have plastered on his face, Waller was unreadable, and his mother… His mother looked absolutely terrified for his safety, the worry evident on her face.

Jack looked back to see Metallo calmly approaching him, and turned back to the group, dragging himself out of the crater, "Please," he begged as he stood shakily, his voice thick and dull.

"Let my mother go and I'll do whatever you want," he said and stumbled forward, landing his hands and knees.

Waller's face remained unreadable, and Jack felt the hot sting of tears on his face as he continued to plead with her, "Just let her and the others go and I'll never come back, I swear, Kara and I will leave, you'll never have to worry about us again, just please let them go!" he normally wouldn't beg, but he was out of options, a fact illustrated when Metallo dragged him back to him by his cape and slammed his fist into his stomach.

Jack almost vomited from the blow and lost consciousness for a brief moment. He had failed, that much he knew…

_Ground Level, New York City…_

June stared in horror as she watched that...that _THING_ MECH had created attack her son, ruthlessly and mercilessly beating him, stripping him of his powers and leaving him unable to defend himself, all while she was being held here by Waller, Silas and his MECH goons, in FULL view of the public. Her heart had almost broken when she'd watched him beg, _beg, _for her to let them go.

Of course, MECH hadn't listened, since Waller had given MECH official NSA backing, and somehow legitimized their organization, there was very little the authorities could do to help them.

The commotion had attracted a crowd of onlookers, some had started taking photos and filming it, but the general sentiment among the crowd at first had been confusion, but after Jack's ill-fated pleas for Waller and MECH to let her go, as she was being held by two of Silas's goons, that confusion had quickly turned to anger. Yet no one actually made a move to do anything, until…

"Is this what we call Justice!?" A faintly British voice demanded.

The crowd turned to see a well built man with shoulder length black hair and pale skin pointing at the fight between Metallo and Jack, "That _thing _is killing an innocent child! What has he done to deserve this!? The supposed murder of former terrorists? Doesn't the law of our land strictly state that one cannot be punished for a crime committed before the law detailing it as such was put into detail!?"

There were mutterings from the crowd as they realized this mysterious man had a point. Slowly, the crowd began to turn against the incident before them fully, yelling insults and jeers at the group, bits of debris being flung at the group.

Waller swatted a can to the side and yelled, "You are interfering with Official matters of National Security! You're hereby ordered to disperse immediately or face arrest and Federal Prosecution!" That didn't go over well.

"_Official Matters of National SECURITY?!"_ June shrieked in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Of course," Silas smirked as he saw Jack take a particularly savage haymaker. "You see Mrs. Darby, Jack, and Kara, are both a threat to this country because no-one controls them. No-one holds them accountable for their actions. And, until now, we didn't have any means of countering the threat they represent."

June glared at the man with utter hate. She wasn't usually a violent woman, in fact, the prospect of taking a life appalled her, but now, with these two, she was contemplating murder.

As Metallo now stood over the severely beaten form of Jackson Darby, who was currently hunched over on his hands and knees, looking down at him with utter disgust.

"Pathetic," he spat, his voice becoming more synthesized as he fought, "I was expecting more of a challenge from you kid. Not so cocky now are you? And to think, I went from a lowly thief knocking over Banks to_this!_" he said, as he kicked Jack over onto his back.

Jack let out a strangled cry of pain as he felt several more of his ribs crack. The Kryptonite radiation already rendered him completely powerless, now, on top of that, the pain his body was enduring, both from the radiation and the multitude of broke bones, made it difficult to breathe. But he managed to look up at his assailant, his eyes blurry from pain and unshed tears.

"Oh...yeah..." he coughed "And look what you've become!...You went from being a petty thief..." he coughed again, bringing up a little blood this time, his chest burning with pain. "To being...MECH's science Experiment...Horror Show...and PUPPET!" he yelled.

Metallo stepped forward as he rolled onto his side, wincing in pain. He looked over at his mother briefly, saw the anguish on her face, and the smug satisfaction of Silas' face, oh how he was going to make the good Colonel suffer for this, and finally, the self-assured, overconfident smile on Waller's face, as if she was doing America a favor, Jack mentally snorted. The woman had no idea what it meant to do America a favor. Jack looked back at Metallo.

"You think you stepped up in the world? You haven't taken a step up in life, you've fallen all the way down to the bottom of the ladder..." he wheezed, and then coughed again.

Metallo regarded him piteously. Considering his words, then he just shrugged.

"Whatever."

As he took another step towards Jack, the angry mob, for that's what it now was, directed their projectiles at him, several bottles bouncing off his chrome dome with an audible _dong_.

"Hey! I'm tryin' to do a public service here!" he snapped, brushing aside the odd bottle or rock that came too close to him.

As he reached down to grab Jack by the throat and lift him up to end this, an ear-piercing, blood-chilling howl spit the air. It was so loud the windows on several buildings and cars shattered, forcing all the spectators to cover their ears, crying out in shock.

It sounded like a Wolf's howl, the howl of a predator challenging his prey, and it sent a chill down Waller's spine, and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on-end.

Metallo straightened up.

"What the hell?!"

There was a sonic boom in the distance, and a white blur raced down the street, its slipstream up-ending several parked vehicles, and knocking a few people off their feet. It slammed into Metallo with the force of a Cannonball, coming to a stop directly over Jack, where its form became clearly visible. It was a snow white dog with the body of a husky, but it was nearly as large as a Great Dane. And it looked _pissed._

The force of the impact sent Metallo flying, skidding a good 200 feet down the road, slicing through several cars, before skidding to a stop, his body digging a small trench in the road. He finally managed to stagger to his feet, and walked back towards his new opponent, getting a good look at him. It was then he noticed that the impact had left a sizable dent in his frame, although by some good fortune, the Kryptonite hadn't been knocked loose.

Though to be safe… There was a low click as a small shield clicked over the rock, protecting it from further possible harm.

Krypto was stood protectively over Jack, his back rigid, his ears flattened, his shoulders hunched and his head down as he glared at the creature that dared hurt his Master, and threaten his pack's Alpha Female, his teeth bared as he snarled in feral canine rage, his instinct to protect his pack demanding he rip the strange metal creature to pieces with extreme prejudice.

"What the hell is that?" Silas growled. June smirked triumphantly.

"That, is a Kryptonian War Hound. They're FIERCELY loyal to their Masters, and equally as protective of not only their Masters, but also their Masters' families, be they sole individuals, or groups comprising several _unique_ species."

June said, inwardly delighting at the look of alarm that flashed through Waller's eyes, though Silas' eyes just narrowed. June also noticed that the angry mob had suddenly gone very silent and still at the appearance of the very large and angry looking dog.

Metallo staggered closer to the clearly alien dog, whose eyes were now glowing bright red as it glared at him, saliva dripping from its mouth as it snarled at him, its entire body shaking like a compressed spring.

"Wait ya turn Scooby, I'll off you in a sec." Metallo said dismissively.

In response, Krypto growled menacingly, before he sucked in a breath, took half a step back to brace himself and lowered his head, then brought it up like a cracking whip, and barked.

There was so much power behind the bark, that the air was compressed as the sound wave moved forwards. People covered their ears and cried out with the volume of the bark, what windows hadn't been shattered by the slipstream caused by Krypto's appearance were now practically vaporized by the volume and force of the bark. The downpour of rain was stopped briefly as the shockwave barreled towards Metallo.

The sonic shockwave slammed into Metallo, knocking him off his feet and sending him sprawling.

June blinked as she shook her head to stop her ears ringing.

"Ok, didn't know he could do that." she admitted.

Jack sat up and groaned with the pain, which was thankfully starting to fade now there was some distance between himself and Metallo, and that the kryptonite was sealed away.

"Good boy. Nice save. I guess we should paint a lightning bolt on your side or something" Jack said, chuckling at the indignant look Krypto gave him.

"Oh come on!"_Bolt"_ was a good movie!"

The dog just grunted in response. A shift in the rubble at the far end of the street caught Kryptos attention, and he flattened his ears to his skull, growling angrily at Metallo as he pried himself free of the rubble.

"Alright pooch, you want to tango!" he motioned for the dog to make his move, "Then let's tango,"

Krypto snarled and leapt at Metallo, his jaws spread wide in an attempt to rip his metal throat out. Metallo unsheathed his kryptonite shard and grabbed Krypto by the throat and waist, flinging the dog off to the side. Krypto let out a pained whimper as he landed, the Kryptonite taking its toll on him.

But, what no one knew was that his genetic tampering produced one side effect that Kara hadn't known. Basic immunity to Kryptonite. The dog quickly got to its feet and attacked Metallo, the stone in his chest making him feel a little sick but having no other effect.

Metallo punched Krypto in the head as the dog tackled him, only for Krypto to catch his fist in his jaws. The dog slammed his paws on Metallos slightly dented chest, and heaved on his arm.

"Hey! What are you-" Metallo screamed in agony as Krypto tore his arm off, the metal and wires snapping and tearing under the dog's vice-like grip.

Krypto shook the dismembered limb like a chew toy for a moment, before flinging it off to the side and attacking Metallo again. The machine man used his remaining arm to hold Kryptos vicious attacks at bay, his arm strained under the pressure.

Krypto snapped and snarled at Metallos skull like face, saliva dripping from his jaws as he tried to kill the creature that would dare hurt his master. With one final lunge, Krypto gained hold on the metal skull, and heaved.

Metallo screamed and pounded at Kryptos neck to no avail, the wires and metal of his body snapping and sparking as Krypto pulled. With a final heave, his entire head, spine and all was torn from his body. Krypto dropped the machines head and howled victoriously over his body. He had one, he was victorious and his master was safe…

_MetLife front Entrance…_

June watched with mix horror and triumph as Krypto tore that monsters head clean off its body. Now there was silence as the crowd looked from the body to Waller, glaring at the latter. Waller promptly returned the glare.

"Take them out." she ordered.

"You sure?" one of the MECH soldiers asked, staring at her incredulously from under his mask. The woman had lost her mind.

"He's still weak from the rock element, he's still vulnerable, take him out now, while we have the chance." Silas snapped.

"Do it, and it won't be Kara or the Autobots, or even Krypto who rips you apart. It will be _ME!__"_June snarled, Waller regarded her incredulously.

"You're already looking at charges of treason June," Waller threatened, and began listing off possible crimes, "harboring not one, not two, but _THREE_ very real threats to our security! Add to that, your hording of alien technology for nearly 17 years, AND your withholding of information regarding the alien ship that was buried in the Arctic Ice until just before Zod's arrival. You think we wouldn't notice it breaking free of the ice and disappearing? It didn't take our analysts long to figure out it was Kryptonian after Zod was taken care of, and I find it hard to believe Jack and Kara haven't shared it's secrets with you."

"But they haven't!" June snapped. She'd just about had enough of this woman.

"A likely story." Waller retorted.

"Oh that _DOES IT!"_ June screamed, wrenching her left arm free of the Guard on her left, she elbowed him hard in the stomach and as he doubled over, she raised her fist and punched him in the face, then, before the other guard could react, she turned to face him fully and punched him in the forehead, knocking him off balance, forcing him to let go of her.

That was all the incentive the crowd needed to be garnered back into action, as one, they rushed forward to help both June and Jack.

June then turned on Waller, her eyes aflame with barely contained fury.

"Don't even think it. Assaulting a Federal Agent—" Waller was cut off as June's fist connected with her left cheek.

"Shut. Up! I have HAD it with you! You threaten my family. You threaten ME. You have the audacity to accuse _ME_ of treason, when _YOU_ are the one who allies herself with terrorists and legitimizes their activities, and _THEN_ you send a monster to attack a _CHILD?!_ Who's the traitor Waller? It certainly isn't me!" she accused, continuing her assault.

June then followed this up with another punch, only half noticing the retreating form of Silas as the coward made his escape, that was fine with her, he'd get his due eventually, right now, it was Amanda Waller's turn.

"You slink out of the shadows, and get yourself to be the Head of the NSA, I wonder, how many beds did you have to hop to get that position?" June growled.

Waller staggered back, but quickly recovered, glaring at June as her face darkened with her own rage at the Nurses implications.

"How _DARE_ you!" Waller snarled, taking a swing at June, who easily side-stepped it, her lighter weight and leaner build working to her advantage. She side-stepped around Waller and delivered another punch to the face, continuing her verbal barrage.

"You're a bigger threat to this country than Jack or Kara, or even the Autobots could _EVER_ be!" June continued, delivering a punch to Waller's midsection and then grunting and taking a step back as a blow from the larger woman connected with her own face, but she managed to stay on her feet.

"Those children are a _threat_ because they are magnets for danger! One day soon, the American People will SEE that I'm right! And Jack and Kara will FAIL to protect them! As will the Autobots! The MECH Initiative I spearheaded is meant not only to remove a threat, but also a potential_ weakness_. This is the greatest country in the world, and I won't let it fall because we let a group of Aliens run around _Unchecked!_ If you were more patriotic, you'd see that." Waller countered as she blocked another punch from June, but missed on the retaliatory strike. June glared at her as the two women started circling each other, the crowd having quieted down to watch the fight, the MECH soldiers having already being incapacitated, some of the spectators were also getting out cameras.

June grit her teeth as she moved forward and delivered a fast punch to the other woman's face again.

"That's the problem with most Americans in government these days. They think this country has the right to rule the world. It doesn't. Let me make this perfectly clear to you Waller." She then closed and delivered a series of punches and kicks as she said her next words, her voice rising in volume with each word until she was shouting, panting heavily as she exerted herself, forcing the other woman back.

"If you _EVER__"_

_Punch_

"Threaten!"

_Punch_

"My children!"

_Kick_

"_AGAIN!"_

_Punch_

"They will _NEVER..."_

_Punch_

"Find!"

_Punch, Kick_

"_YOUR REMAINS!"_

As she'd shouted these last two words, she kicked Waller in the gut, then on reflex, reached down and grabbed a metal bar that was laying in the dirt and swung it at her as she shouted the final word, the end of the pipe connected with the left side of Waller's face and the woman went down hard, the impact from the metal, and the subsequent impact with the ground doing enough damage to send the woman into the realm of unconsciousness.

June stood over her opponent, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, sweat poured down her face and her back, she could feel it, smell it, she needed a shower, hell, she needed a massage and a vacation after this.

She glared down the unconscious form of the NSA Director, her adrenaline and temper still running high.

"On second thought...Probably better if I make _SURE_ you never threaten us again, right now..." she then raised the bar over her head, ready to end this...

When she felt a hand grip her right wrist, and she turned, to glare defiantly at the one who dared to stop her, only for her eyes to go wide as she looked into the determined face of her own son, his own face red and bloody from his fight, the beginnings of a black-eye forming over his left eye. He looked horrible, and probably felt worse.

Jack didn't say anything, he just looked into his mother's eyes, silently pleading with her to stop, as he leaned against Krypto for support, the Kryptonite shard was still in Metallo's chest draining his powers for the moment, but not enough to be a threat anymore. The look he was giving his mother spoke volumes.

_Don't do it. It's not worth it._I'm_not worth it._

And that look broke her.

Letting out a shaking sob, she lowered her hands and tossed the pipe away, before turning to face Jack fully and embracing him, feeling him wince as she hugged him, the radiation from the still-exposed shard still negating his powers.

"Jack..." she said, her voice cracking as sobs wracked her body, "I can't believe you almost...that _I_almost..." she didn't finish as she started to cry. The large form of Krypto brushed against them, gently pushing them away from Waller, but more importantly, away from the Kryptonite.

"I'm ok Mom...I'm gonna be ok...Everything's gonna be alright." He said, kissing the base of her neck and stroking her back while Krypto rubbed against them and licked both their faces, whimpering as he tried to comfort his family...

_Autobot HQ, later that night..._

Jack walked into the main control room of the base, quickly finding the one he was looking for, a small parcel tucked under his right arm. After some debate, he realized there was something he needed to do. Something important.

His body was still a little sore from the fight, but some time spent in the sun, away from the Kryptonite, had started to heal his injuries. Couple that with the fact that all charges had been dropped, the bots freed and MECH removed from the government, and he'd say it was a pretty good day so far.

Although June, Ratchet, Kara and Arcee had pretty much demanded that he spend the next few days at the base to fully recover, a request he hadn't argued with, but he had to take care of something tomorrow, _then_, he'd start his recovery.

"Optimus, can I speak with you for a moment? In private." He asked, the Last Prime turned from his work to regard his young Kryptonian charge, then nodded, before walking at a leisurely pace towards his quarters.

Once inside, Optimus turned towards the young teen.

"What can I do for you Jack?"

Jack sighed and got straight to the point.

"I want you to hold something for me, for safe-keeping. As insurance," Jack replied, looking the Prime right in the Optic.

Jack took the parcel and started to unwrap the cloth that covered it. It was a small metal box; a quick scan of it told the Autobot that it was made of lead.

"Amanda Waller and Silas were right about one thing. Kara and I _are_ dangerous, and if one, or _both_ of us goes rouge, Team Prime are the only ones who I know of with the resources and determination, and the possible capability to stop us, by any means necessary."

Optimus raised a brow-plate, but didn't say anything. He simply nodded for Jack to continue.

"And to that effect, I want you to have this, as long as you promise me that you won't hesitate to use it, if all other options fail, and this is the last resort." Jack said, as he floated up until he was chest-high to the Prime, before reaching out, offering the small box.

Optimus reluctantly took the small box, he had a pretty good idea what was in it, his Spark filled with both pride and a small tinge of sadness. Pride that the young man had realized the potential in himself and his sister for them to lose their way, as Megatron did, and that Jack trusted him, out of all of them, to do what was required, should it ever come to that. He was also saddened at the prospect of doing just that.

"I'd give this to Arcee, but I have a feeling she'd destroy it the instant my back was turned." Jack said. Optimus nodded. Sound logic. Void would probably do the same, and neither Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee nor Starscream would have the Spark to use it, well, Starscream _might,_ he just probably wouldn't get the chance.

He was the only logical choice.

"I also want your word, that you won't reveal the fact that you even _HAVE_ this, until you actually use it." Jack said, fixing the Prime with an even stare.

"I swear upon the Allspark, Upon Primus and the Matrix of Leadership, that I give you my word as a Prime, that I will never reveal my possession of this artifact, until such time I am left with no alternative but to use it."

Jack nodded and smiled. That was good enough for him. As he floated back down to the ground, Optimus spoke up.

"And now I must ask you to promise me something, Kal-El." Jack turned to face him and nodded.

"Can you give me your word, that you and your sister will never put me in a position where I am forced to use this?"

Jack smiled and nodded.

"I give you my word, on the Ancient and Noble House of El; I promise I will do everything I can to make sure you are never forced to use what is in that box." Jack said, smiling.

Optimus smiled in return.

"Good enough. Good night Jack, sleep well."

"You too Optimus." And with that, Jack left the room, heading for his and Arcee's quarters…

_Whitehouse, Washington, the next day..._

Amanda Waller strode into the building with a purpose. Her plan to eliminate Jack Darby had failed, for now, she'd managed to use her influence to get her out of police custody within a few hours, and now was on her way to see the President, to try and smooth over the ruckus that public fight between Jack and Metallo had caused, and make arrangements to have June dealt with. Her face still hurt from that metal pipe, and the punches, and the back of her head still hurt from its contact with the ground.

As she opened the door into the Oval Office, the President was just putting down the receiver on her phone.

"Director Waller, you've looked better." She said, straight to the point.

"Madam President. We have a serious situation." Waller replied.

"Yes, we do." The President replied, her eyes narrowing.

Waller opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"I received some very disturbing information last night, and again this morning. It seems that you recently gave pardon to a known militant group known as MECH, and even re-activated the status of their leader, a disgraced Colonel by the name of Leland Bishop." Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Waller. Waller returned the glare.

"MECH are the only ones with the experience and the resources capable of countering the Alien threats our planet face. And I'm not talking about just the Decepticons." Waller said defiantly.

"That brings me to my _next_ point...not only did you give this terrorist group a pardon, something only _I_ am legally authorized to do as Commander-in-Chief, but you also illegally, and secretly, arrested an innocent mother and threatened her with life imprisonment, and threatened her children with the same in direct violation of the constitution. Not only that, you then attempt to arrest her a _second_ time, this time in full public view, and challenge her teenage son to fight to the death to save her, and if what I've been told is accurate, he begged you, _BEGGED_ you to let her go, and you refused!" the President was shouting as she got the end of her speech and had actually got to her feet and was leaning across the desk, glaring at the soon-to-be former NSA Director. Waller bristled.

"Those two _especially_ are an even _BIGGER_ threat than the Cybertronians! Have you forgotten what Zod did? What he was capable of? And now we're facing the same thing!"

"That's not what I saw the day of the Genesis flight. And you KNOW it Waller. If EITHER of them wished us harm, there wouldn't be a DAMN thing we could do about it. And you KNOW it. And they would have already acted besides." The President replied.

Waller tried another tactic, she was losing this argument, and she knew it.

"What about Mr. Corbin? They _KILLED_ him! In public, with dozens if not _Hundreds_ of witnesses!"

"You mean the same Mr. Corbin who MECH had turned into a walking freak-show and YOU turned loose on a teenager who was just trying to protect his mother? The Mr. Corbin who was once a bank robber and has a list of other felonies three miles long to his name? THAT Mr. Corbin?" the President growled, her eyes alight with anger at the woman's audacity.

"And if what I've heard, and seen from some of the amateur photography taken at the scene, Mr. Darby was helpless, and it wasn't him who took down Mr. Corbin, but rather, his _dog._ Who, I might add, was just doing something that _any other_ dog in his position would do, if they had the capability to do so. And from what I'd seen of what MECH had done to him to make him that..._thing..._then the dog taking him out was probably the kindest thing anyone could do for him."

"And June Darby's assault on me? Are you going to just brush that off as well?" Waller snapped.

"Yes." The President said simply. Waller's eyes widened in shock, she hadn't expected the President to be so...abrupt on that point.

"Considering what happened yesterday and what was revealed during Mrs. Darby's confrontation with you, the public is now _howling_ for your blood. There are also those in this government who want your head on _Pike_ Waller! And by all rights, I should have you over to them gift-wrapped, but I won't._"_

Waller seemed to relax slightly, maybe she'd get out of this after all, but the look in the President's eyes put an end to that line of thinking quickly.

"I _will_ however, have you stripped of your position as Director of the NSA, your clearances will be revoked, and you will be held in Federal Custody pending your trial on charges of Unlawful arrest of an American Citizen, Harassment, Public assault, blackmail, Attempted murder, Conspiracy to commit acts of Terrorism, Associating with known terrorists, and finally the big one: Treason!"

"You cannot DO THIS!" Waller yelled.

"I already have. Guards!" the President snapped.

Several armed soldiers stepped into view and surrounded Waller, who looked at them dumbfounded; how she'd missed them on her way in she didn't know. Which meant they must have been waiting...

"Please take the _Former_ Director of the NSA into Federal Custody gentlemen." The President said.

"This is not over." Waller growled as she was led from the room.

"For now it is." The President replied. Once the door was closed, she sighed and sat back down in her chair, closing her eyes, she took a deep breath then let it out slowly to calm her nerves, which the other woman had frayed somewhat.

"So, I hope you appreciate this Mr. Darby, I'm going to need a new Director for the NSA now." She smiled then opened her eyes and turned to look behind her as Jack stepped out from behind one of the curtains, in uniform, which she thought he looked very smart in, if a little clichéd.

Jack smiled at her as he stepped forward.

"Don't worry ma'am, I think I know someone who would do just fine in that role."

"Yes, William Fowler, hmm, I'm sure he'd _love_ the recommendation." She chuckled, and then she looked at him in the eye.

"I wanted to thank you Mr. Darby, that day you saved the Genesis Flight, you saved a lot of people, including one of my best friends." She said, extending a hand.

Jack smiled and shook it.

"No thanks are necessary Ma'am; I was just doing what I had to do."

"My my, aren't we humble." She chuckled, and Jack laughed lightly with her.

"You don't have to worry about me and my sister, or our dog, ever causing trouble. I've already taken steps to ensure that, if we ever do cross the line, that measures will be taken." He said. She nodded.

"And I wanted to officially offer my apology for Amanda Waller's actions, she was operating above the directives of her calling, and without the authorization of either Congress or me, and no such action will be taken against you or your family, or your friends again, and if it ever does happen again, the order didn't come from me. But if it ever does, you will know about it." She said, giving him a semi-stern look, then smiled.

"I accept your apology Madam President. And on behalf of the House of El, and Team Prime, I thank you for your help and understanding. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I've got a speech to rehearse." He said, smiling at her, before he turned and flew out the open window, a sonic boom echoed in the sky seconds later…

_In front of the Whitehouse, the following day…_

A massive crowd of reporters and citizens were gathered in front of the white house for the speech to be given by the Superboy. A stunning development all things considered, but apparently the illusive hero had something to say, even after everything that had occurred in the past few days.

To say that people were ecstatic over this was putting it lightly. Hundreds of reporters were there, wanting to get the top scoop on the Superboy, find out what he planned to do now that he was no longer a wanted man. The whole world wanted to know.

The entire area had eventually been sealed off, and the sunny atmosphere had people giddy with anticipation, so much so that it was almost palpable.

Finally, after nearly an hour of waiting, the familiar uniformed figure of the Superboy descended from the sky, landing behind the podium. There were a few murmurs from the crowd at how young he appeared a reaction that the teen was growing useful.

Once the murmurs died down, Jack looked over the crowd at the eager faces, detecting the occasional flash from a camera here and there. He took in a shaky breath, and then he began.

"Sixteen years ago," he began, "A small starship crash landed in Jasper Nevada, carrying a single passenger, a tiny infant from a doomed planet. That infant was found and adopted by two humans who raised it as one of its own. It didn't take them long to realize this infant was different from any other. This one was stronger, faster, with incredible powers. Yet even so they raised it as their own, and eventually the infant grew into a young man, curious about where he was from,"

He paused for a moment, taking a quick breath before continuing, "He wanted to know why he was sent to Earth, why his original parents had abandoned him. Approximately three months ago, he found that reason. His home world, Krypton had died, his parents sent him to Earth to preserve some small part of his home, for the Kryptonian race was almost completely destroyed in his home world's destruction, leaving him as one of the last of his kind,"

Jack paused again, noting the looks of shock on several reporters faces. No one knew until now that Krypton was gone, that Zod and his crew had been some of the few survivors. And now they did know.

Jack continued, "But despite this, the alien swore, as I swear today, that no matter the circumstances, no matter the situation, that I will uphold the very ideals that this nation was founded on, that all sentient life has found to be true. Truth, Justice, and liberty for all. That is my pledge to you,"

The applause was deafening…

**End Part 2**

**A/N: And so it's finally over, this little multi parter is finished! You know what that means? Time to announce the winner of the poll! And the winner, by a massive score of 17 to 10 is…. The Green Lantern story, now named Will of the Primes! Like the name? Let me know if you have something better. Anyway, I'm going to take a break to focus on that story for a little while, so I don't burn out on this one. I will post the story in the coming week, but not tomorrow, school is starting to get hectic again with SAT's and College applications. So I will slow on the updates. Anyway, Review, or PM me on the story, bye!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Fight for Survival

_Earth Orbit, Near the Moon…_

The moon engulfed his view, huge and massive. Its grey surface would have appeared smooth and featureless, were it not for the hundreds of craters that pocketed its surface. Hues of blue gray lit the interior of the craters. The very edge of the moon was lit a faint blue as the dark side slowly engulfed it.

The stars themselves speckled the night sky in the thousands. It looked like the sky had been draped with a thick sheet that someone had poked twinkling little holes into. Faint streaks of blue were brushed across the night sky, adding to the beauty. The Earth itself was a small sphere that appeared no bigger than a basketball at that distance. Its continents of green and brown painted an astounding mural on the surface, the blue water appearing clean and flawless. At the edge of the coming night, lights had turned on, looking as if the Earth were some deep sea creature.

His second time in space, and view still astounded him. Jack had to admit, he was luckier than most to see something so spectacular. Of course, he didn't get too appreciate it long before his comm. crackled to life in his ear.

_"Admiring the view Kal?" _Kara asked.

He smiled, "You know it. Every time I see this, it helps remind me why I do what I do." he said.

_"Fly around in spandex saving people?"_ she quipped.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Funny,"

He heard her giggle over the comm. Ever since the incident with Waller over a month ago, she had stayed relatively serious. Probably due to how much Waller had hurt them, and the fact that her sentence only saw her demoted from the head of the NSA. To be replaced by Fowler. Jack smiled as he remember the agents reaction to finding out about Jacks recommendation.

_"Wait...You did WHAT?!" Fowler yelled, his eyes going wide and his face getting a few shades lighter._

_"I said, I recommended you for promotion to the position of NSA Director. I figured you'd do a better job than Waller, and you're one of the few people in the Government I trust." Jack said, smirking as he saw the horror on the Agent's face._

_"Wait, Fowler got promoted? Sa-weet!" Miko grinned._

_"How...could you DO that to me?!" Fowler moaned. _

_Jack raised an eyebrow._

_"What do you mean? I thought you'd be happy to get offered a promotion."_

_"To head of the National Security Agency?! Do you have ANY idea what that is gonna do to my HAIR?! I'll be gray in a week! To say nothing of my waistline!" Bill replied._

_Kara snorted. "You're worried about that NOW? Bit too late for that I think."_

_Fowler glared at her, but Jack could tell it was only half-hearted, because he saw the smile hidden under the man's frown._

_"Well, I think it's great." June said, smiling at him. "But this does mean the team will need a new liaison, right?"_

_"Oh yeah, didn't think of that." Jack muttered._

Turns out that wasn't the case. With Fowler in charge of the NSA, which had yet to gray his hair. Fowler was able to maintain his job as liaison with the bots, his visits had simply become less frequent over time. Something that Jack hadn't had time to take notice of. Since his speech to the world as a whole, he'd become more busy. With school, his unofficial job as the Superboy, a name that had stuck. The news called him that now whenever he appeared in it, which was very often.

He was very busy most of the time. In fact, the reason he was in space in the first place was to destroy a massive asteroid on a collision course with Earth. If it hit a populated area, there was no telling what kind of damage it would do.

"That asteroid should be about 2,000 miles out, should be popping up on your HUD," Kara reported.

A small red dot with distance labeled on it appeared on his HUD, "Got it, heading out." he responded. He turned until he was facing its general direction.

He held his arms out and shot towards the meteor, hefting the bag of charges onto his back like a quiver of arrows. Each charge was roughly seven feet long, made of a steel green and shaped like a two ended spear. One end contained the charge, and was sharpened so Jack could shove it into the meteor easier. The other was smaller and held a flashing LED light so that he wouldn't lose track of them.

The mile marker on his HUD fell fast, dropping to 1,500, 1,000, 500, and finally 10. By that point he could barely make out the asteroid. It wasn't like that for long. It steadily grew larger in his vision as he approached.

It wasn't a pretty looking rock. It had to be a few hundred feet in circumference, though it was very misshapen. It looked more like a big brown potato then a rock. A few small craters littered it surface, signs of past impacts that had put it onto its current trajectory. It spun end over end at a leisurely pace, barely noticeable if one didn't pay any attention. Jack was though, so he noticed.

He landed on the large rock, kicking up dust beneath his space boots. Kara had happily rebuilt his space suit, with a few changes. It was now smaller and less bulky then before, and the lights that could boost his powers in a red sun system would no longer burn out as quickly. The material had been upped with Kryptonian materials integrated into the weave, it wouldn't melt as easily anymore.

Jack pulled a charge off his back and slammed it into the ground. Though there was no noise, he felt the vibrations through the asteroid as it hit. The LED blinked faster, signaling the charge was armed. Barring any complications, it would wait until he had finished setting all the charges. Then he could fly off to a safe distance and detonate them.

He wiggled it once lightly to make sure the rotation of the asteroid wouldn't shake it free. He was happy to see that it wouldn't, and trudged forwards, repeating the process. Though he knew how important the job was, he did find it very monotonous.

"Any particular reason _I'm _the one who has to do this and not you? We do have the same powers after all." he complained.

_"Kal, you know as well as I that you would be next to useless monitoring things from down here. Smart as you can be, math isn't your strong suit."_ she reminded him. He could practically hear the smile in her voice.

He sighed and shoved another charge into the large rock. He was about halfway through his pack, "You have a point." he growled.

Kara giggled again, _"Course I do. You might be the stronger more tactical one, but I have the Kryptonian education."_

Jack mumbled to himself as he worked, ignoring that little prod from Kara. It was a fact he'd accept, she was just smarter than him when it came to mathematics or science. It didn't bother him though, everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses, even he did.

Jack had just shoved another charge into the asteroid when his HUD went nuts. Warnings blared in his ear and the entire HUD had turned a bloody red, "Kara…" he started.

_"I know I know, I see it!"_ she growled over their link.

"What does it mean!?"

There was a pause. Then, _"Get out of their Kal, now!"_

Jack wasted no time protesting with her. He turned and was about to take off, when he heard a loud boom. The entire asteroid shook, causing Jack to stumble. He had no time to recover, more explosions ripped into it. He looked to his right in time to see the charges he'd planted go off one by one in the order he'd planted them.

The asteroid cracked apart with each explosion. A large fissure formed under his feet, knocking him off balance right as he regained it. Luckily, that was the last of the charges he'd planted and the rock was still intact. He stood, brushing himself off.

"Well that wasn't too bad," he said casually, "It could have been much worse,"

He only had time to hear the beep before everything went black…

_Autobot HQ…_

"Kal? KAL!?" the only response was static.

Kara cursed. Somehow, the charges in his pack had gone off prematurely. Now he was likely injured in space, his suit breached and leaking oxygen. Kara scowled, thinking to herself. The bots were all out on a relic hunt in New York at the moment, save for Starscream, who was resting in his quarters.

She didn't have time to call them back, and Raf and Miko were at their respective homes. It was 11 o'clock at night, they had to go to bed. Kal and herself had only been up due to that meteor.

Kara paced as she thought, "I can't fly there, not fast enough anyway. If the bridge was a space bridge…" she looked at the long tunnel.

She remembered that Kal had told her that it was able to go into Earth orbit, albeit with a great risk. She walked to the terminal and began inputting the coordinates. She didn't doubt that this would be dangerous, but she didn't care. Her brother was in danger.

Kara activated the bridge and looked to the suit of armor standing next to the terminal. It bore a resemblance to her brothers, though it was slimmer than his. It stood about 7 feet, similar to Kals own space suit, and the grey was lighter than his. The helm was also much smaller, practically sealed to the wearers face.

She walked up to it and pressed a button on the front collar. A low hiss emanated from the suit before the chest split open along the El crest. Kara turned around and slipped her legs and arms into the suit. She heard the servos whirr to life and the chest plate sealed shut. Her HUD activated, showing her oxygen levels were at one-hundred percent.

Lifting off the ground, she floated to the ground bridge, "Hang tight Kal, I'm coming,"

_Unknown Location…_

Jacks entire body felt sore, like it was on fire. The closest experience he could remember where he felt like this was his first trip into Dusks dimension. At least the pain wasn't as great this time. Slowly he opened his eyes. He had expected to see stars and maybe bits of asteroid. As far as he could remember, the charges on his back had detonated.

What he saw instead was a ceiling made of old stone bricks overhead, faint light illuminating them. He lifted himself up on his elbows to get a better view of where he was. He was in a large room, tall enough to hold Optimus in it and made of old stone. Pillars of stone held up the roof, and odd glowing rocks illuminated the immediate areas around him. Dripping water echoed through the room.

Of course, he wasn't alone. Aliens, of different shapes, sizes, and colors filled the room. They seemed to be talking in various languages, though Jack could have sworn he heard some English mixed into the various voices.

Jack moved to rub his head, only for his arm to jerk to a stop. He looked at his arms to see he was chained to a wall. It was then he realized with a start that his entire space suit was gone. He was left in his super suit, his cape lying underneath him.

"What is this?" he asked no one in particular, "Where am I?"

_"You are on War World,"_ a voice said. It sounded as if it came from everywhere, with no real source.

Jack looked around, his chains rattling slightly, "Who said that?"

_"I did," _the voice said. It sounded vaguely African.

Jack looked to his right and his eyes widened. An alien, slightly taller than him with green skin, orange glowing eyes sat a few feet across from him, watching him intently. His skin seemed hairless and he wore no clothes it seemed. He had four fingers, and had two toed feet. His head stretched upwards, almost horn shaped and segmented. He didn't have a nose.

"Who are you? What's War world?" Jack asked.

The alien almost seemed amused, _"War World is a planet where aliens across the galaxy are forced to fight in gladiatorial games by its ruler Mongul,"_ his mouth never moved while he spoke.

_Telepath, _Jack thought. Then his words sunk in.

"Gladiator games? Why!?" Jack demanded.

The alien made a calming gesture, as several of the other rooms occupants were starting to look in their direction, _"Calm yourself Jack Darby, or do you prefer Kal-El or Superboy?" _

Jack arched a brow, "How do you know my name?"

_"I took the liberty of exploring your memories whilst you rested. I apologize, but the rumors of a Kryptonian being brought onto War World, I was skeptical. I had to be sure."_

"You know of Kryptonians?" he asked.

_"Of course, they were once famous for exploring the galaxy and owning a vast empire. Their destruction was unfortunate. You were thought extinct." _the alien explained, _"For the moment, that seems untrue,"_

"And it's going to stay that way," Jack said, standing to his feet. His cape fell out behind him.

_"I fear that is far from true. No one survives War World," _the alien said sadly, _"I have been here for over ten Earth Years. Many a mighty warrior have come through. All have perished."_

Jack smirked and flexed his arms. The chains snapped with a loud _clink_! He rubbed his wrists,

"Who said I intended to survive it? I'm leaving."

_Ruins of the Asteroid…_

Kara zoomed through the debris of the asteroid, looking for any sign of her brother. Bits of rock pinged off her armor, but she paid them no mind. She'd been searching for a good 30 minutes with no luck. His signal had vanished and there was no trace of him or his armor!

She stopped, letting the debris float by her. Kal was too strong to be taken out by those charges, and the he wouldn't suffer decompression in space. She began fiddling with her suits HUD.

"Activate field overlay," she ordered. A patchwork of squares spread out, highlighting every object in view, "Begin scan for chemical residue,"

There was a brief pause before she got a match, two thousand feet away. She quickly flew to it, a piece of debris as big as she was. An orange splotch was highlighted on her HUD, part of the chemical reaction from one of the charges.

"Scan for any emissions," she waited for a moment. A ping signaled that it had found something.

"Analyze" A series of faint blue lines materialized, tracing out of the system.

She crossed her arms, confused, "Ion trails. Couldn't have been cons then, Energon doesn't leave an ion trail."

She looked back at the bridge, a green speck in the cold blackness of space, "Kal's going to kill me for this," she muttered…

_War World…_

Jack stopped at the edge corner of the hallway. He signaled for the alien to stop too. After Jack claimed he was leaving, the alien had offered his assistance, having been in the arena longest. Jack had accepted, since he knew next to nothing about this place. All he knew for sure was that once he was gone, it wouldn't matter.

He peaked out from behind the corner. None of the robotic guards he'd seen earlier. Good, he didn't need any alarms raised about his escape attempt. Though he felt at full power, he had no idea what their weapons were capable of. Better safe than sorry.

The two moved forward, walking slowly and silently through the halls, "You never did tell me who you are," Jack whispered suddenly.

_"J'onn J'onzz," _he responded.

Jack kneeled at another corridor, peaking out, "What species are you?"

_"My world had many names… But the humans of Earth called my home, Mars. The red planet."_

Jack froze and looked back at him, the shock obvious on his face, "You're a Martian?"

_"One of the last," _J'onn admitted.

Jack signaled an ok and the two ran down another corridor, "How did a Martian wind up in a place like this?" he asked.

_"My people were never numerous. Compared to humans anyway. Sadly, a great epidemic wiped out most of my people. The rest of us that survived went underground, hibernating for centuries, waiting for the proper time to reemerge on our home. We had only emerged 15 years ago when Mongul attacked Mars. He had heard of our many abilities and thought we would make fine gladiators. We fought valiantly, but ultimately those of us that remained were slaughtered. Of the five thousand remaining Martians, he killed over 3,500 of them. He only ceased his slaughter when I volunteered to become his gladiator. Now he holds Mars hostage with his planet killer."_

Jack looked at J'onn, "Planet killer?"

_"If I should ever escape, he will destroy Mars."_

Jack clenched his fists and ground his teeth in anger, "What kind of sick monster would threaten an entire planet just for the sake of entertainment!?"

_"Mongul is a very sick monster," _J'onn said sadly.

The Martian lowered his head sadly, his orange eyes clenched tight. Jack placed a hand on his shoulder, noting that his skin was as smooth as it looked. J'onn lifted his head in surprise.

"I promise you this J'onn, once we escape this place, I'll destroy that weapon myself. I know what it's like to lose your home, no one deserves that." he smiled faintly.

_"Thank you Superboy. That means much to me."_

White energy slammed against the wall they were standing by, knocking rock loose, "Save the sentiments for later!" Jack yelled, shielding the Martian with his own form.

Several robots floated into the hall, firing at the two. They were roughly 8 feet tall, and shaped like upside down triangles. Blasters were held at the bottom point, and two arms sprouted from either of the top points. A single silver optic rested in the middle, focused only on Jack and J'onn.

"Get down!" Jack ordered. He turned to face the robots, their blasters bouncing off him harmlessly. He felt a slight tingle from the impacts and assumed the bolts were meant to stun him, not kill him. Good enough for him.

Jack fired a lance of heat vision at their attackers. Two bots were sliced clean in two, detonating before they even hit the ground. Bits of debris bounced off the ground, smoke obscuring some of the other robots. Jack rocketed forward, his fist shoved through the nearest bots optic. Electricity sparked around Jacks arm and he winced. In large enough amounts, it could hurt him.

Jack ripped his arm out, holding a small grey box with several wires attached to it. The robot fell to the ground with a loud _clunk_. Jack covered his face as the remaining six bots attacked him. Their fire had intensified, but it was focused on him instead of J'onn.

He flew forward, tackling one of the guard bots into the wall. The wall exploded inward, the robots motionless body skipping across the ground. Jack turned back to attack the remaining five. He was shocked to see two of them suddenly arch with electricity.

J'onn emerged from the two, holding what appeared to be some sort of power sources in his four fingered hands. He looked transparent, as if he were a ghost.

_"I can phase through solid objects." _he explained. To emphasize this, the three remaining bots fired at him. The bolts passed through harmlessly.

"Okay, that's awesome," Jack admitted. He flew up and tackled one of the bots. He placed one hand on its optic, the other gripping its arm. With a growl, he tore it clean off. Wires sparked and hydraulic fluid sprayed all over the place. Wielding the arm like a club, Jack smacked the malfunctioning bot into the remaining two. There was a loud boom and the group disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Jack dusted his hands off and looked to J'onn, "How come you do not use that more often?" he asked.

His form became fully solid and he stumbled back, leaning against the wall. He held a hand to his head as if he were suffering a bad headache, _"Something in this worlds atmosphere weakens my powers. Phasing through solid objects is… difficult at best. I cannot maintain it for long."_

Jack nodded, "Makes sense. Now we have more reasons to get you out of here," he motioned forward, "Let's go."

"You aren't going anywhere Kryptonian." a deep booming voice growled.

Jack turned towards it. A large alien, standing twelve feet tall and built like Mt. Everest stood before them. He had pale yellow skin and glowing red eyes. He wore a purple skin tight shirt with a silver line going down the middle. His pants were silver, and his gloves and boots were both purple. He lacked any hair on his head, though the back of his skull seemed cover in a silver plate of sorts. Maybe it was a crown.

The alien was flanked on either side by two dozen robot guards, whose optics were glowing a fierce red. The alien narrowed his eyes and walked forward, his heavy footsteps echoing through the halls. Jack noted his arms hung lower then a normal humans slightly, like a gorilla's. His hands themselves could have wrapped around his waist with ease.

The robots encircled them and Jack tensed, ready for a fight, "Don't bother," the yellow alien stated, "My drones have been ordered to use full force on you _Superboy._"

"And you are?" Jack hissed, his eyes darting from side to side. He could have taken them he bet, but with J'onn still weakened and leaning against the wall, he didn't want to take a chance if it meant having the Martian hurt.

The yellow alien chuckled, "I am Mongul, ruler of War World." he rubbed his chin, circling the two. He examined the two, or more specifically Jack, like one might examine a prize winning dog.

He smiled darkly, "I'll admit, I didn't expect this. At least from you J'onn, I thought you had broken years ago." his smile darkened, "Maybe I was wrong."

Mongul stopped circling them, standing in front of Jack and glaring down at him, "You Kryptonian, interest me. No one has ever tried escaping War World. At least, no one's tried and lived."

Jacks stance deepened, "First time for everything." he stated.

Mongul smirked, "No, I'm afraid not. You see, I have heard much about the strength of the Kryptonians on other worlds. I wanted to see firsthand the strength you possessed."

Jack glared at the warlord, "I was not disappointed."

_Autobot HQ…_

Kara exited her suit quickly, letting it fall to the floor in a crumpled mess. She rushed to the terminal and began typing a series of coordinates into the ground bridge. As fast as she and her brother could fly, there was no way she could fly through the vastness of space. There was no telling how far those ion trails extended.

She couldn't call the Titans, it'd take too long for them to ready the T-Ship. This left one option, one she was reluctant to use. But Kal was to important to lose, for more reasons than he knew.

The bridge swirled to life once more, the coordinates typed in. Kara wrote a note on a piece of paper explaining what had happened to the bots. She knew that they probably would be upset she didn't call them, Arcee in particular. But she needed to move fast, there was no time to lose.

"Care to explain what you're doing?" a voice rasped from next to the platform.

Kara practically leapt off the platform in surprise. She looked to see Starscream standing there, optic ridge cocked questioningly. She held a hand to her chest, panting slightly from shock, "Starscream you scared me," she said.

He just stood there, looking at her questioningly, "You didn't answer my question."

Kara looked at her note, the bridge, and Starscream. She could knock him out and go, but he'd tell the bots and she'd be in even more trouble than before. Kara took in a deep breath.

"Kal got caught in an explosion on when trying to destroy a meteor hurtling towards Earth and is gone so I'm taking our ship to go look for him because I think he was abducted by aliens!" she start gasping for breath, having said all that in the span of a second.

Starscream stared at her for a moment before speaking, "Have you contacted the other Autobots about this?"

She shook her head, "No, not enough time. Every second we wait here Kal could be put in danger or worse. I need to go now."

Starscream seemed to digest this information for several moments. Kara fidgeted slightly, wondering what the ex-con was thinking. If he tried to stop her, she'd have to fight him, and even though she was stronger than him, he was very deadly with that blade. It could get very violent very quickly.

"I want to come with you." He stated.

Kara blinked in surprised. That was not the response she was expecting.

"Why?"

"Jack, or Kal-El, whichever name he prefers, is a very important comrade to the Autobots. I owe him much for convincing them to accept me into their ranks." the seeker explained.

Kara smiled, "Alright Screamer, you can come. Though the ship _might_ be a bit small for you…"

_Deep Space…_

Starscream sat hunched over in the ships cockpit, his head scraping against the ceiling. His knees were drawn to his chest, and he drummed his servos against them. He had refused to use the mass shifter despite Kara claiming that it was necessary. He remembered what had happened to Voidwalker when she had used it, and had been quite adamant in his refusal.

Now though, he was rather comically squished into the ship, much to Kara's amusement. Jor-El had been rather shocked by the appearance of the seeker, though he himself had practically vanished since they had taken off. Kara herself was piloting the ship, something she'd been taught how to do by her father until it was practically motor memory.

Starscream looked down at Kara, whose attention was focused on the view screen which had highlighted the ion trail.

"Why is finding Jack so important to you?" he asked her.

Kara looked up from the pilots chair, "He's my brother, why else would it matter?"

Starscream shook his head, "No, there's more to it than that. Something you haven't told any of us. What is it?"

"No there isn't!" she exclaimed.

"You're attempting to lie to a former _Decepticon_, you realize that right?" he pointed out.

"I…" Kara paused for a moment, contemplating his words.

She let out an angry sigh, "Fine, you win. But what I am about to tell you, **no one **can know, got it!?" she demanded.

Starscream nodded.

"Okay," Kara started, "The reason I am so concerned is because Kal is the last hope for our race. If he dies, the Kryptonian race is truly doomed."

He tilted his head, "I don't… I don't understand."

Kara closed her eyes, clenching her fists tightly, "When father and I were planning my and Kal's escape from Krypton to Earth, we agreed on one thing. The codex, a device that contains the genetic information of the entire Kryptonian race _had _to be preserved to save it. So long as it were preserved, our species could be saved."

"Jackson had this codex?" Starscream asked.

A guilty look crossed Kara's face, "Sorta…" she started.

"You see, Kal has had the codex his entire life. We agreed its original form would be too easy to find… So we agreed that when Kal was born, we would… Father would, transmit the codex into Kal, for safe keeping."

Realization dawned on Starscream's faceplates, "So Jack is…"

"Kal is the last and only hope for our people. He isn't just the keeper of the codex, he _is_ the codex."

_War World…_

The stadium was massive. Miles in diameter, it was large enough to seat millions of people at a time, with rows and rows of seats rising higher and higher into the air. A single platform rested in the center of the arena, two discs resting atop it.

A stone building rested in the middle of the stands. A large balcony jutted from the front, a large awning casting a shadow over its occupant. The warlord Mongul, who was lounging comfortably in a chair that floated a foot off the ground.

Millions of his subjects crowded the stadium, as was the standard. After all, the fighters today were special. Mongul stood from his chair, and walked out to be better seen by his subjects. He raised his thickly muscled arms, inciting a cheer from them all.

"Today, we have a fight for the ages! A fight between two beings of incredible power!" he proclaimed. His voice echoed through the stands, and the cheering grew louder.

Mongul smiled to himself, and mentally activated the teleporter. The two disks started to glow a bright white, slowly growing more and more intense. A brief flash illuminated the platform, obscuring it from view.

When the light died down, two figures were left standing on the platform, "I present to you! Superboy! The last living Kryptonian, and his opponent, the Martian Manhunter!"

**A/N: I apologize for taking so long for updating this. I was supposed to update yesterday, but for a variety of personal reasons that I really don't want to get into at the moment, I couldn't. Anyway, I have a small warning for you guys. For the next week or so, expect little or no updates at all. I have the SAT's this coming Saturday, and have to work on my college applications too. Expect my updates to resume possibly on Saturday, maybe Sunday next week, but I make no promises. I'm sorry. Please though, feel free to review with critique, PM me with ideas or questions as well. Bye!**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Survival of the Fittest

_War World…_

"I present to you, Superboy! The last living Kryptonian!" Mongul roared. The crowd applauded.

"And his opponent, the Martian Manhunter!" Jack winced at the thunderous roar from the crowd. There had to be millions of alien citizens in this coliseum. Though the arena itself seemed almost tiny. The platform they stood on, with their arms bound tightly in steel cuffs that engulfed their hands, occupied most of it.

Jack looked up at Mongul, glaring at him. He'd had no choice but to fight for the warlord, lest he risk J'onn being hurt. That had worked against him. Now he'd have to fight J'onn, and possible kill him.

His fist clenched inside the large cuffs. No matter what happened, J'onn would not die he decided. Not by his hand, or anyone else's. He had a family to return to, and he'd get to them. Jack had promised him that much.

Mongul turned to the crowds, his arms spread wide, "Where should we send them!?" he asked of the crowd.

A large hologram formed in front of Jack, detailing a swampy environment, "The pits of Galphon?" the crowds booed.

"Or how about the scrap yard's of Bellarus? a location filled with scrapped starships, buildings, weapons, and other pieces of technology appeared. Large wings jutted out of the hills of scrap, creating uneven and rust colored hills.

The crowds roared with approval, and even from down in the arena, Jack could see Mongul grinning, "The Scrap Yard it is!" he bellowed.

Mongul turned to face his two gladiators, that smug grin on his ugly yellow face. He stepped back into his hover chair, and pressed a button on the arm rest.

The air around Jack and J'onn shimmered. Jacks entire body felt like it was being ripped apart as his view of the coliseum was slowly obscured by thousands of glowing white crystals. He suddenly was engulfed in white for several precious seconds. He felt, saw, and heard nothing but whiteness. So quiet was the process that he could hear the roar of blood in his ears.

As quickly as it had happened, it ended, and Jack found himself facing J'onn in the scrap yards. A pillar of fire was gushing straight up to Jacks right at the base of a massive hill of scrapped material. To his left was a large rocky overhand, with piles of knick knacks and old appliances piled up in the corners. He and J'onn stood in a dirt road between the piles of scrap and the overhang.

There was a click, and two bolts on either side of his cuffs rolled out. They popped open with a low his, falling into the ground. They thudded loudly, echoing through the relative silence of the scrap yard. Jack rubbed his wrist, getting the feeling back in before looking at J'onn.

The Martian looked unsure of himself, "I'm not going to fight you." Jack stated.

Apprehension crossed the Manhunter's face, "I do not wish to fight you either Superboy,"

Pain seared through Jacks skull and he screamed before falling to his hands and knees, "But I cannot allow Mongul to harm my home."

Jack balled his fist and screamed again as J'onn ripped into his mind. Jack felt like someone was twisting a screw into his brain, tearing apart his mind. He looked up, his eyes watering as J'onn approached him. He had a sorrowful expression on his face.

"I am sorry."

Kryptonian ship…

Starscream looked at Kara, shocked. The girl looked down at her hands, trying to ignore his look. She hadn't wanted to tell him, but the con had picked up on her lies pretty quick. She played with her hands, trying to ignore Starscream's look. A tense silence ticked by, second by second. It seemed that he had nothing to say.

"Why haven't you told him?" the seeker finally asked.

Kara looked up at him, "Because, he doesn't need to know. Kal has enough pressure on him without knowing that as well."

"But he has put himself in immense danger helping others. If he is so important, why allow him to do that?" Starscream demanded.

"Because he needs to earn humanity's trust!" Kara yelled, standing up from the chair. She paced back and forth in front of the viewing window, biting her finger nervously.

"You know as well as I do that humanity doesn't trust us, or the bots. A lot of them see us as threats." Kara explained. Starscream nodded, the events concerning Waller still fresh in his processor.

"So Jack is to earn the trust of the humans, then you will tell him of the codex?"

Kara put a hand to her head, the other on her hip, "I don't know yet Starscream," she admitted, "This whole plan has encountered setback after setback."

Screamer raised an optic ridge, hunching down slightly so his head didn't scrape the ceiling, "What do you mean?"

"I was supposed to arrive on Earth several months before Kal. Build up a stable life so I could raise him when he was born and sent to Earth. I'm actually thirty two from a chronological standpoint. Physically though, I'm still 16. I was supposed to be the one earning humanities trust. Not him."

She sat on the ship floor cross legged, "I don't know what to do now though."

War World…  
"I did not want it to come to this Superboy." J'onn said. His tone was regretful and sad.  
Jack screamed silently as the Martian continued to tear into his mind. It felt as if his very being, who he was, was being ripped apart. Memories scattered, thoughts, personality. All whipped up into a single large tornado.

Tears started forming in his eyes as a few single thoughts emerged. He'd lost, J'onn was able to hurt him, without hurting him. He would die. He would never see his family again. Never see… never see Arcee.

Jacks eyes clenched and his fingers dug into the dirt. Arcee, the one he loved. He couldn't leave her, or his family. Suddenly the pain started to lessen as Jack focused on the single thought of seeing his loved ones again. It engulfed his consciousness, the only thought he could focus on.

J'onn stumbled back as Jacks single thought pushed him out. He tried assaulting the teens mind, to no avail. It was like trying to break a mountain with a needle. The thought of his family was the only thing driving him.

Jack stood, stumbling slightly as he grasped his head. His memories, they were still scattered. But he remembered one thing. He was supposed to fight, to beat this person. If he failed, he would never see his family again. Jack looked up at J'onn, and the Martian paled slightly. Jack's eyes were glowing red.

With a scream of rage, Jack shot towards the Martian, kicking up dust and debris as he did. J'onn raised his fists defensively, his skin turning a shining silver. Jack slammed into him with the force of a freight train, and the two went crashing through a mountain of scrap, leaving a single neat hole in the center.

J'onn bounced across the ground unmoving, like a bouncy ball, before coming to a stop at the base of another pile of scrap. His skin turned green again, and he stood unsteadily to his feet. Jack slammed into the ground in front of him, kneeling. The ground was cratered around him.

Jack stood and stalked towards him, his eyes still burning red. J'onn steadied himself, and struck a fighting stance, arms raised protectively. He'd woken a sleeping giant. Now he had to fight it. His fists turned a silver steel right as the Kryptonian launched an attack at him.

He punched at J'onn, only for the Martian to meet his fist head on. A shockwave echoed out from the blow, their two fists locked in an unmoving struggle. J'onn's muscles pulsed and strained against Jack's strength. Strong as he was, the Kryptonian was slowly overpowering him.

Jack tried punching with the other hand, J'onn catching that one too. The two were locked in a power lock, Jack slowly gaining the advantage.

J'onn suddenly disappeared, a puddle of water appearing at Jacks feet. He stumbled forward, crashing rather undignified into the scrap heap. J'onn reformed from the puddle, and backpedaled away from the teen as he stood. He looked at J'onn, still as angry as other.

He shot towards the Martian at sub sonic speeds. His fist collided with J'onns stomach, causing the Martian to double over, gasping for breath. Jack curled his fists together, and raised them over head, before slamming them into J'onn's head. He slammed into the ground with a resounding boom, leaving an imprint in the crater.

Jack raised his boot to slam it down on J'onn's head, only for the Martian to fade and sink into the ground. Jack lowered his boot, his eyes narrowed. He looked around angrily for the Martian. Where had he gone?

Two green arms wrapped around Jacks neck, holding firm. With a single heave, J'onn lifted the two into the air, ignoring Jacks struggles and feral growling. He was beyond reason at the moment, his mind still scrambled by J'onn's mental assault. J'onn flew up and up until the scrap yard looked like a small rusty field of hills.

Without warning, he twisted back, plummeting to the ground. The wind whistled by them as Jack struggled against J'onn's grip to no avail. The Manhunter let go at the last moment, and Jack slammed into the ground with a thunderous explosion. The ground rolled out in shockwaves from the impact, Jack burying a good ten feet into the ground.

J'onn landed at the edge of the center crater, panting heavily. He was growing weak, he couldn't keep this up much longer, "Submit Superboy. You cannot win." he told him.

The ground began to shake and roll beneath the aliens feet, causing him to stumble around. He heard the sound of cracking dirt and earth, and turned to see Jack burst from the ground. His suit was covered in dirt stains, but he seemed unharmed besides that.

"ENOUGH!" he snarled.

He shot towards J'onn, delivering a left hook to his face. The Martian went careening into the remains of a starships wing, denting it with his impact. He slid down the wall, stunned.

Jack stalked towards him, and gripped the Martian's throat, cutting off his supply of air. He lifted him up to eye level, his eyes glowing an even brighter red. J'onn closed his eyes, knowing what would come next.

"Excellent, finish him!" Monguls voice ordered.

Jack turned his head to see a small white, circular probe float in front of him. Monguls voice was emanating from it. Jack looked hesitantly at J'onn, the red glow suddenly dimming. His memories started to knit themselves back together. The red glow died and Jack released J'onn.

The Martian fell to the ground, gasping for air, "No," Jack whispered, "I won't."

The warlord narrowed his red eyes, "What was that?" he demanded.

Jack looked up at the probe. From his current angle, it looked like he was staring directly at Mongul, "I won't kill him." he reaffirmed.

A stunned silence filled the coliseum. No one defied Mongul, he was the king, the ruler of War World. His word was law. Every inhabitant looked to Mongul, who sat on his hover chair. His face might as well have been carved from stone for all the emotion he was showing. The only sign of emotion was given through his fists, which were clenched tight.

"No one. Defies. Mongul." he growled.

Jack crossed his arms, "First time for everything." he replied.

J'onn looked up at him, bleary eyed, "_Do not be a fool. Kill me, it is the only way you'll survive."_

The teen ignored his plea, instead staring down the probe, "I refuse to kill for yours, or anyone else's entertainment."

Mongul smirked, "Very well. If you refuse to fight for the peoples entertainment, then you will die for their entertainment." he pressed a button on his chair's arm rest.

A ring of whit surrounded Jack, blinding him for a moment. When the light cleared, twenty guard bots floated around him, surrounding him. Monguls smirk changed into a grin, "Reduce him to atoms."

Every bot fired at once, causing Jack to scream out in pain. Two or three he could handle easy, four was more difficult, but 20 at once was too much. Even for him to handle. His entire body felt like it was on fire, which it was to an extent, and he fell to his knees as the robots unloaded a brilliant round of fire onto him.

Just when he thought he couldn't handle it anymore, the firing stopped. Jack looked up, his vision blurred from the pain and intense light. The lasers hung below each floating robot was smoking, the end of the barrel glowing bright red. He smirked, he was too tough for them to hurt through traditional means.

Mongul on the other hand, was less than thrilled by this. His armrests cracked under his grip, "You are resilient Kryptonian. But like all organisms, you have a limit."

He activated the comm. which allowed him to speak directly to his robotic guards, "Fire again."

Jack had only just started to stand again, when the robots reassumed their barrage. He screamed out in pain once more, and fell to the ground, clenching his hands as his body burned. The ground around him began to melt from the heat, turning into glass that cracked underneath the teen. Mongul watched with interest as the teen screamed and writhed in pain. The boy had shown defiance, something which the warlord would never tolerate. He needed loyalty, fear, obedience, like the Martian possessed. Not upstarts like the Kryptonian.

By this point the boy had stopped screaming and had curled into a ball in the center of the fire. His skin was starting to singe slightly, and smoke rose from his position. Mongul grinned, it wouldn't be long now. The child wouldn't be able to hold up, not anymore.

Suddenly, Jack stretched out and yelled loudly. For a brief moment, the beams stopped. It was only a brief second, but it was long enough for him to act. His heat vision lanced out, and all twenty robots were cut cleanly in two as he spun on his heel.

Jack looked back up at the probe, his whole body smoking, "Do your worst Mongul. But no matter what you do, I will never follow you, never listen to you."

There was silence through the stadium. Not the earlier silence, but the silence that one feels when an entire crowd is holding their breath. At this moment, the crowds were holding their breaths, waiting for what would happen next.

A small voice broke through the silence, "Superboy! Superboy! Superboy!" one of the citizens began to chant. Slowly, another joined his chant, then two, than eight, than twenty, than hundreds, followed by thousands and finally millions.

All chanted the same thing, "Superboy! Superboy! Superboy!"

Mongul grit his teeth, "Very well. Send them back to the pits."

_The Pits…_

Jack stumbled into the room, his hands cuffed once again. He'd complied with the cuffs only to keep J'onn safe. If the Martian hadn't been around, he would have already fled. But that would also have gone against everything Jack stood for. So for now, he was stuck on War world.

A low thud echoed behind Jack, and he turned to see J'onn laying face down on the stony floor. The door slammed shut behind the Martian with a definitive boom. Jack flexed his arms, and felt the cuffs shatter. Pieces of the grey metal clattered against the ground as Jack knelt next to the Martian. Near as he could tell, he was still alive, just unconscious.

"You defied Mongul." a voice said.

The teen turned to see every alien in the pit gathered around him, "Do you have any idea how foolish that was?" another demanded.

Jack straightened up, "Doesn't matter. Mongul is nothing more than a dictator, one who forces others to fight for his own enjoyment so he doesn't have to actually lead. I will never respect someone like that."

Several of the aliens backed away from him and seemed to bow. Whispers of awe were murmured through the crowds. One of them stepped forward, head still bowed.

"Few have ever stood against Mongul before Kryptonian…." The alien seemed to debate with itself over something for a moment before speaking again, "We have found a way out of the coliseum. Tonight, a trash sled will be leaving. We can smuggle you aboard, and from their it's a straight shot off this horrid planet."

Jack took a moment to digest this news. If what this alien said was true, he had a shot to get off War World, to escape the madness of Mongul. He could go home, see his friends, family… Arcee. He clenched his hands as memories of her returned. He had no idea how long he'd been here, but he knew one thing. He missed her.

A groan of pain emanated from behind him. Jack turned, remembering his friend J'onn. He too had spent a long time in this place. Over a decade, and according to him, he had his own family waiting for him at home. Could he really deny him that chance?

"No." Jack stated firmly. The aliens eyes widened in surprise.

"I have unfinished business here. Put him in my place instead." Jack ordered, motioning to J'onn. There were mutterings of disbelief from the assembled aliens. He ignored them all, instead walking through the crowd away from them.

"You're sure of this!?" the same alien called.

The teen stopped in place, silent for a moment, his cape coming to a still stop around him.

"Yes."

_Monguls Throne Room…_

The throne room was large and lavish. It had a large central window overlooking the cities of War World, and its size was large, big enough to fit an Autobot comfortable. Lavish tapestries hung from the walls, and a lush carpet ran up to the throne. The throne was gold and purple, and sat comfortably on a raised dais.

Mongul sat in said throne overlooking the city that surrounded his coliseum, his hands folded together, his brow furrowed in thought. That Kryptonian boy was the focus of his thoughts. He'd not only had the _audacity_ to defy him, but to do so in front of his subjects as well! Ordinarily, such ingrates would simply be executed. But somehow, the boy had managed to rally the support of his subjects in one fight!

He growled to himself. Such things were not possible! They shouldn't be possible. The door to Monguls chamber opened and one of his assistants nervously walked in, holding a clip board of sorts.

Mongul stood and strode towards the window, his reflection staring back at him, "What?" he growled.

"I… well sir," the assistant said, cowering behind his holo-board, "I wanted to inform you that… since the fight between the Martian and Kryptonian we've had several riots break out across War World. The people are demanding a change sire."

Mongul snarled and slammed his fist against the window, cracking it, "Spoiled brats! I bring them entertainment, safety! And all they do is take it for granted!"

He straightened up, "Very well, the people want a change? They will get their wish."

_Junkyards of War World…_

A Junk sled flew overhead, whirring silently as it soared through the night sky passing over mounds of scrap. Its basic AI was unaware of its passenger, and even if it had known, would have been able to do little for it. Instead, the sled flew to a stop over a large mound, opening its undercarriage.

Food, bits of vehicles, and standard trash fell out in large clumps, sliding down in an avalanche of garbage down the hill. A single being differed from this, a green figure, whose body slid down the hill, limp and unmoving.

Slowly, the Martian opened his orange eyes, only to feel a moment of confusion, _"What? How did I…?" _

He slowly stood, bits of garbage falling off his body, _"I'm… free? How did I get free?"_

J'onn searched his memories, trying to discern how he had escaped the pit. He widened his eyes as he faintly remembered. Superboy, he'd done this. He'd set him free instead of taking the freedom for himself. The Martian looked up at the night sky, his heart beginning to fill with hope. For the first time in 10 years, he looked at the sky with freedom.

A sudden thought occurred to him though, _"The Superboy… his intentions were pure, yet… Mongul still holds him and my planet hostage." _he looked towards the horizon. The bright lights of the city illuminated the night sky. Though he was free, J'onn knew a good way to put his new found freedom to good use.

He lifted off the ground, about to fly off towards the city, when a low thrum sounded overhead. J'onn looked up in time to see a large ship fly by overhead, with a smooth design he'd never seen before. It settled behind a large mountain of trash and shut off.

The Martian cocked a brow. What was happening?

_Later…_

Mongul still stood overlooking the city, his arms crossed behind his back. His plan was just being set into motion. It would be only a matter of minutes before the first step would be taken. As if on cue, the great doors were flung open. Several guards garbed in steel plated armor with long poles armed with lasers at the end, marched in, shoving their prisoner forwards.

Jack stumbled slightly before catching himself. He stood up straight and took a breath to calm himself. The guards had simply come out of nowhere, slapping a pair of cuffs on him and dragging him up to Monguls chambers. The whole way up they'd remained silence.

Of course, he knew one possible reason he'd been dragged up here. Jack glared at Mongul as the warlord turned to face him. His pure red eyes were set in their own glare. The two warriors glared at each other for several moments, neither moving or speaking. Jacks guards shuffled nervously.

"You've caused a lot of trouble for me child." Mongul finally ground out.

Jack grinned, "Natural talent of mine."

Mongul scowled, "Your very existence has riled up the common folk into a frenzy! You have any idea how delicate the system was? You've toppled it in a single match!"

"Do I look like I care?" Jack deadpanned, his face emotionless, "You force sentient beings to fight for your entertainment so you don't have to actually lead your people, why should I care about _your _problems?"

The Warlord smiled darkly, "Because," he started, "you don't have a choice."

Jack arched a brow and Mongul elaborated, "You see, I work hard to keep my people ignorantly blissful. You are a threat to that. Now while I could order you executed, this would not go over well."

"Isn't that a shame." Jack deadpanned.

Mongul turned to him, "That being said, you are going to fight _me _next."

Jacks eyes widened and Mongul continued, "And you _will _lose."

"I seriously doubt that." Jack growled.

Mongul grinned, "Oh you will Kryptonian. Otherwise, the Martians home world will be reduced to rubble."

Jack blinked once as he let that sink in. Mongul was willing to blow up an entirely different world just to ensure his victory. He looked at the floor, his mind racing. He'd sent J'onn away to ensure that he would get home. To have freed him and then only have his planet destroyed… But at the same time, if he did lose, he'd die and not only would he lose his family, but War World would remain stagnant. Trade one world for another.

Jack looked back up to see Monguls smug face. He let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, what do you want me to do?"

_The Junk yard…._

The doors to the ship opened, and Kara and Starscream exited the ship. It had taken them exactly one full day to get to this horrible planet. The ship scans revealed it was a heavily polluted world, and from her first breath of air she could tell. It felt like she was breathing in dirt with each breath she took. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the piles of garbage surrounding them.

"You couldn't have picked a better place to park?" Starscream asked.

She gave the seeker an angry glare, "It was the best place at the time. We're fairly out of the way, and this will give us plenty of time to find Jack."

Starscream looked at his pedes and made a noise of disgust, "Not sure he'll want us to find him." he muttered.

"Shh!" Kara ordered suddenly. She'd heard something scurrying about in the garbage. What it was though, she had no idea. Starscream said nothing as Kara scanned the mounds of refuse, instead pulling his sword out and letting its red glow illuminate the area. Kara narrowed her eyes and watched as the layers of junk peeled away.

She didn't notice anything out of the ordinary at first… a sudden movement to her left caught her attention. Reacting on instinct, Kara shot towards the sound, colliding with a mound of garbage. Said mound exploded outward, showering the area with junk.

Kara ignored it, she was focused too much green alien with orange eyes whose throat was currently held in her hands. She raised the alien up in the air with ease, her grip remaining firm but light. She didn't want to kill the alien, just get some answers.

"Who are you!? Why where you spying on us?" she demanded. Starscream kneeled behind her, watching the two intently.

_"I… only… wished to…investigate." _the alien admitted. Kara frowned, the alien was using telepathy.

She dropped the alien. The alien coughed trying to catch his breath before looking at Kara, or more specifically the her family crest emblazoned on her chest. _"That crest… you are Kara Jor-El?" _he asked.

"How do you know my name?" Kara demanded.

_"My name is J'onn J'onzz, and the reason I know your name, is because I know your brother." _J'onn told her.

"You do!? Where is he? Is he alright!?"

J'onn made a calming gesture with his hand, _"For the moment. But I fear he won't be for much longer. There is much to explain and little time to explain it."_

"Wait," Starscream said, "How do we know we can trust you? How do we know this isn't just an elaborate trap?"

J'onn looked directly at Starscream, _"That's a risk you'll have to take, isn't it?"_

_Planet Buster…_

"So remind me, why are we here?" Kara asked. She lay on her stomach next to J'onn, Starscream hunched behind the two. They lay on a hill overlooking a large structure that resembled a human observatory. A large area around it had been cleared, with a long angular object jutted from the roof. Kara wasn't an expert on weapons, but this whole structure screamed weapon.

_"This structure is designed for the sole purpose of killing planets."_ J'onn explained._ "For ten years Mongul used it to blackmail me into fighting in his gladiatorial games. Now he is doing the same with your brother."_

Kara eyed the structure with new found hostility. It was the only thing keeping her from tearing the world apart to get to Kal. "Alright, what's the plan?" she asked.

_"I will assume the form of Mongul to try and convince the soldiers running this station to shut it down. Failing that, you and the Cybertronian are to assist me in destroying it. Once that's done, we shall go and retrieve Kal-El and leave this world once and for all."_

"You sure you can handle changing though?" Starscream asked. J'onn had fully explained the situation to them, including how the planet's atmosphere weakened his powers.

"_Long enough for it to matter." _he looked at Kara, _"Keep watch so that you know when to interfere."_

She nodded, "I've got your back." she said.

J'onn smiled and flew off towards the planet buster, Kara watching him from a distance. With Kryptonian eye sight, keeping track of him was rather easy. J'onn descended towards the planet buster, phasing through the walls as if they weren't even there. He landed behind a deserted hallway, checking to make sure there were no guards.

Once he was sure he was in the clear, he focused for a brief moment. His body grew thicker, more muscled, with purple cloth covering his form as his skin turned a sickly yellow and his eyes red. Within seconds he looked exactly Mongul, down to the tiniest detail. Satisfied with his disguise, J'onn walked out from behind the corner and strode towards the obvious commander.

He took note of the facility in case things went wrong. The walls curved to the sides and upwards, with a single entrance in and out at one end of the room. Terminals of various blinking lights were spaced evenly around the room, and the weapon itself rested in a lowered area, with a metal rail surrounding it. A raised platform was right next to it, where the alien commander stood.

The alien commander, dressed in an alien uniform, his face covered by mask seemed to almost jump out of his skin at the sight of "Mongul". He quickly steadied himself.

"Sire, to what do we owe this great honor?" he asked rather nervously. "I thought you and the Kryptonian were about to engage in a fight?"

"Never mind that!" he barked, "I want you to decommission this facility immediately!"

The commander seemed taken aback, "S-sire? Are you sure? That conflicts with your previous orders."

"Of course I'm sure you miserable waste of life!" he roared, "Now are you going to just stand their taking up space? Or are you actually going to make yourself useful!?"

The commander saluted sharply, "No sire, forgive me. I was just asking for confirmation."

"Reconsider your options next time before speaking or I'll-" J'onn stumbled back as his whole body was overcome with weakness.

"Sire, are you alri-" the commander cut himself off as Monguls form degenerated back into J'onns.

"Imitator!" The commander screeched, "Guards!"

J'onn shook himself, regaining his senses right as several armed guards surrounded him, spears pointed at him, "Kill this criminal." the commander ordered.

The entire facility suddenly rocked back and forth as part of the wall collapsed inwards. Smoke billowed out from the rubble, and several technicians and guards fled from the opening. Once the smoke cleared, Kara and Starscream stood amongst the rubble.

Kara looked at the Martian "Need a hand J'onn?"

**A/N: I'm going to come straight guys. This chapter was a pain. Simple as that. The next chapter may be relatively short, in fact the next two might given what I have planned, but we'll see. I also apologize for taking so long to update. After my SAT's, a school project came out of nowhere and bogged me down for the week. But it's over now, and with a three day weekend, I hope to be updating at my old pace once again. But I make no promises. Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Was it good, bad, okay? Let me know in the reviews below. If you have ideas, questions, or anything similar, just send me a PM. I will respond. If not, oh well. Bye!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Fall of a Regime

_The Coliseum…_

Thousands of citizens flocked back to the coliseum, a sea of bodies packed tightly together. A feeling of excitement radiated through the crowds as each individual pushed and shoved against each other, trying to get into the stadium to get a front row seat.

A single speaker stood by each of the entrances, speaking loudly and enthusiastically, "Today, the fight of the millennium! History in the making! The Superboy, vs. the great Mongul himself!"

The speakers did not lie, and the people knew it. This was a one of a kind fight, one they would never get a chance to witness. The question that was on every one's mind of course, was how the fight would turn out. Some thought Superboy would win, others Mongul. Some even thought that neither would win, that the two would kill each other leaving it as a draw.

Gamblers bet everything on this fight. Money, food, clothing, it all exchanged hands as people took bets on who would win. They waited in eager anticipation to see the battle before them unfold. The odds were even, no one was sure who would win this match. Superboy, while tough and stronger than most fighters seen before, was untested.

His single fight with the Manhunter had shown he had remarkable determination. But determination was only half of what it took to bring down an opponent. And while the Superboy would no doubt fight long and hard, Mongul was the more experienced of the two.

The citizens slowly filled their seats and a tense silence fell over the stadium, like a thick blanket. Every noise felt muffled, small. Compared to what they were about to witness, people paid it no mind. Instead they watched the screen in earnest as Superboy and Mongul materialized on screen.

Jack looked around at his surroundings for a brief moment and frowned. Mongul had teleported them to the place he'd fought J'onn. He could even see the two holes in the ground from his fight with the Martian. He looked at Mongul, who was positioned into a fighting stance that resembled that of a wrestlers, his feet planted firmly in the ground.

He snorted, "Not the most creative dictator out there, are you Mongul?" he deadpanned, "I mean really, the exact same arena where I fought before?"

"If you're trying to goad me Kryptonian, you are failing." Mongul growled. He circled Jack, who returned the gesture in kind.

"Fair enough. Just saying, seems a bit…" Jack thought for a brief moment, "boring."

"Enough talk." Mongul said. He let out a war cry and charged forward at Jack. The teen barely jumped out of the way as Mongul punched the ground. Earth shattered from the blow, leaving a small crater in the ground. Jack looked at the crater wide eyed, floating a good ten feet above the ground.

Mongul stood and cracked his neck, "You will find that I am more than a match for your strength child."

That said, he bent his legs, his entire body coiling up like a spring. In one burst, he leapt into the air at Jack who had time to utter a single word, "Scrap."

The warlord slammed into him like a freight train, and the two went flying through the air. Mongul pummeled Jack as they fell, gripping his hands together and slamming them on his face as they landed. A loud boom echoed through the junkyard, and Jacks head was buried a good six inches underground.

Mongul stood and gripped him by the collar, heaving him up from the dirt. He seemed unconscious and Mongul grinned as he lifted the boy up, "So much for the great Superboy. You sought to fight me, but like those before you, you will die."

Jacks eyes suddenly snapped open, and his leg kicked out, connecting with the aliens chin. Mongul grunted as he was sent careening into a pile of garbage with a crash. Jack landed on the ground, legs bent and panting slightly. He wiped a bit of spittle off his lip and straightened up walking towards Mongul.

Said warlord shook his head, knocking pieces of junk that were hanging from it back into the pile. He stood and walked towards Jack, his eyes narrowed. The two both suddenly surged forward, slamming into each other at frightening speeds. Jack and Monguls hands interlocked and the two wrestled against each other.

Jack grit his teeth and let out a low groan as he struggled against his opponents strength. Mongul was strong, scarily so. He would say he might have been as strong if not stronger than Zod. the dirt started to push up as Mongul pushed him back. Jack tightened his grip and reaffirmed himself, fighting against the hulking aliens incredible strength.

"You are strong Kryptonian." Mongul grunted. He released Jacks right hand and gripped him under his shoulder. With a swift movement, he suddenly held the teen overhead, holding him like a barrel.

"But none are stronger than Mongul!" he slammed Jack onto his knee, and the teen screamed in agony. He didn't feel anything break, just a few cracks, but it hurt! By Primus it hurt!

Mongul flung him forward and Jack rolled across the ground, entangled in his cape. His eyes were blurry with tears, and his back felt like it was set aflame. He could barely move at all, and tried to regain his focus. He could already feel his healing factor taking affect, but it could take a few seconds for him to fully heal. Time he didn't have.

Jack steeled himself and ignored his bodies protests, and pushed himself up off the ground, stumbling as he looked at Mongul. All he saw was a purple and silver splotch approaching him. Mongul cracked his knuckles, striding confidently towards the Kryptonian. This was going even easier than he thought it would off.

He raised his fists over head as he came to a stop in front of Jack, "So sorry it had to end this way _boy._" he hissed.

Jack shook his head as his vision returned to normal. Mongul slammed his fists down, right in time for Jack to catch them. The two struggled against each other for a brief moment, and Jack smirked, "Not to soon Mongul. Got to put a show on for the fans." he said.

"Impudent brat!"

The teen let out a yell and heaved, flinging Mongul over his shoulder. The alien bounced across the ground before righting himself. He skid back a good few feet before looking back up at Jack with a glare that could freeze rivers. He straightened up and the two circled each other, neither one willing to make a move, but neither wanting their opponent to get in a move either.

Jack landed the first blow, delivering a solid right hook. Mongul took a few steps back, running a finger over his lip. He brought it back to see blood. He glared back at Jack and charged forward, screaming a war cry. Jack stepped back, dodging the first punch, and the second. He failed to dodge the third as Monguls fist connected with his chin.

He doubled over, gasping for breath, only for Mongul to upper cut him. Jack went flying into the air and felt his thick hand wrap around his ankle. With a grunt, Mongul slammed him into the ground, leaving a perfect imprint in the ground.

Monguls thick hand wrapped around Jacks skull, lifting his head off the ground. He knelt next to the boy, gripping his head hard, "You are strong Kryptonian, one of the strongest I've faced." he slammed his face into the ground, causing it to crack.

"But your strength will not save you. I had offered you a mercy, you could have died quickly when you defied me. But no, the mercies of Mongul are not appreciated." He lifted Jack out of his cookie cutter crater and gripped his head between his oversized hands.

"So now, you must die." he said, "Here, by my hand. You will not be missed."

Mongul began to apply pressure and slowly but surely Jack began letting out a low moan of pain before he began to scream in agony, thrashing in Monguls grip. The immense pressure he felt could have crumpled steel, and it was only growing worse. He kicked and punched at Monguls arms, trying to break free to no avail. His screams grew louder and more animal and spots began flickering across his vision.

There was only one way out of this. Jack focused for a brief moment, an oh so brief moment. Scarlet beams lanced out from his eyes across Monguls chest. The warlord yelled and let Jack go, stumbling onto his back and batting at the flames that had caught onto his shirt. Jack landed with a thud and lay their letting his senses recover.

Slowly he stood back up, feeling his strength return. Mongul did the same, and the two warriors looked at each other warily. This was going to be a long fight…

_Planet Buster…_

The entire building was utterly silent, the only noise being the sound of computer terminals running. Every guard in the building looked at Kara, and more specifically, Starscream, in shock. No one moved, no one said anything. Kara looked around at the group.

"You know, it might be easier for all of you if you just stand down now." she said.

The guards looked amongst themselves then back at Kara. She narrowed her eyes which started to glow red, "Now!" she ordered.

There was a simultaneous clatter of weapons as every guard dropped their weapons and proceeded to run as fast as they could out of the room. Either through the actually exit, or through the new one Starscream had made, they didn't stop running until everyone was gone.

Kara leapt down from Starscream's shoulder, "Well that was easy." she said before looking to J'onn , "You going to be okay?"

The Martian nodded, _"Yes, it is just that the heavy pollutants of this planet can weaken me."_

"So the sooner you're off world, the better." Starscream stated.

"Alright!" Kara said, slapping her hands together, "How do we take this thing down?" she asked.

J'onn pointed at the long object jutting from the structure, _"Destroy that, and the weapon will no longer function, and Monguls power will be no more."_

"So," Kara started, and looked at Starscream, "You want to do the honors?"

Starscream grinned, "With pleasure." he rasped.

He took two steps forwards, carefully stepping over the organics at his pedes, and raised his blade high over head. With one fluid motion, his sword cut clean through the object. The two halves slid apart from each other, electricity arching from where the blade had cut. The longer half fell forward before sliding out of the structure. The other half exploded where it stood. Starscream shielded his faceplate at the detonation.

Debris rained around the three, but besides that everything remained unharmed. Kara looked back towards the gaping hole in the wall, "Now," she started, "Let's go find my brother."

_Junkyard…_

Jack growled angrily as he stood, wiping a small bit of blood from his lip. He and Mongul had been going at it for a good half hour now, neither one getting the upper hand. Every time it seemed that might change, one of the two managed to break free or trick the other, bringing things back to even.

It had gone on for so long that Jack was actually starting to receive injuries. They were modest injuries, but it still shocked him. He had a few scrapes on his face and bruises covered his body. His healing factor was working in over time to heal him, but bruises took time, and his scrapes kept accumulating,

Mongul was not without his own injuries, and one could argue his were worse. A long burn mark stretched from his left collarbone to his lower rib, courtesy of Jack, and several tears dotted his uniform. His face was bruised, and blood dripped from a cut on his lower lip. The cheek under his right eye was just starting to swell.

The two circled each other once again. Mongul swung at Jack with his right hand. Jack ducked under and struck him in the ribs, causing him to wince. He backpedaled away, keeping his left side away from the boy. The blow had cracked a rib.

Jack smiled faintly. Mongul scowled. Moving swiftly, he rammed his shoulder into Jack, knocking the boy off his feet. He landed on his back with an _oof_ and tried to get up only for Monguls massive boot to slam on his chest.

The warlord knelt down as Jack struggled against his unmoving foot, "You've put up quite a fight boy." he growled. Blood splattered on Jacks face as he spoke, a result of the cut on his lip.

"But you seem to have forgotten that you are supposed to _lose_."

Jack smiled innocently, "Just putting on a show is all. Making you look better."

Mongul snorted, "Mongul does not need to look better. Mongul's subjects know he is the strongest of them all."

"Mongul needs to stop speaking in the third person!" A female voice yelled.

The alien warlord turned just in time to get decked in the face by Kara. He went sailing into a pillar of steel, ripping the beam out of the ground and landing with a heavy thud on the ground. Jack gasped for breath as the pressure on his chest was relieved before looking at Kara with shock.

"K-Kara?" he asked, not believing what he was seeing.

She held a hand out to her brother which he gratefully accepted. "But, how!?" she heaved him to his feet.

"Your captors left an ion trail for us to track." Starscream answered, landing with a loud boom next to the two. He knelt down to better see them.

"We managed to track it to this planet. But we may not have been fully aware of the situation had it not been for our new friend."

J'onn J'onzz walked out from behind his pede, a small smile on his face, _"I wished to repay a debt." _he said quietly.

"Debt or not, your planet will still die Martian!" Mongul bellowed. Everyone looked at the warlord, and Jack struggled not to laugh. His entire face was permanently scrunched up due to Kara's punch, making him look like a giant muscle bound pug. With glowing red eyes.

"You both forget." he continued, "That with a simple push of a button, your world will die!"

Kara grinned, "You mean that planet buster you have? The one in two pieces?"

Jack laughed, "You blew it up, didn't you?"

"Cut it in half actually." Starscream said.

"Then it blew up."

The four looked at Mongul, "So in other words." Jack said.

"_You no longer control us." _J'onn finished.

J'onn stepped forward, _"And now you will pay for the crimes you have committed, Mongul."_

Jack put a hand on the Martians shoulder, knowing what he intended, "J'onn, are you sure of this? Your powers are weak here."

The Manhunter looked back at Jack. _"I must do this Superboy. For my people, and those of all the other worlds Mongul has threatened and destroyed."_

Mongul barked out a harsh laugh, "You honestly believe you could best me in a one on one match Martian!? HA!"

J'onn narrowed his eyes and shook of Jacks hand. He walked forwards toward Mongul.

_"You claim to be strong Mongul, to be the best. You believe that this gives you the right to play with the lives of sentient beings, to shirk your duties of being a leader." _J'onn stopped a good four feet away, just within reach of Mongul.

_"But I tell you this. Today War World will see you for what you really are. Not Mongul, ruler of War World. But a mongrel, not fit to lick the boots of the lowest beggar!"_

Mongul roared at the Martian and leapt at him, aiming to tackle him into the dust. He failed to account for J'onn's phasing powers, and thus, passed clean through him. He landed on the floor kicking up dust. Mongul turned on his back and launched back onto his feet, ready to attack J'onn.

The Manhunter though, had different ideas. His entire form morphed. His legs fused together and began to lengthen and wrap into a coil, his limbs split into four, and his mouth widened and grew fanged while muscles rippled under his green-blue skin. The new form he took was nearly as long as Starscream was tall, thirty feet, and rippled with muscle.

J'onn screeched at Mongul, the warlord taking a hesitant step back at the new being before him. Kara, Jack, and Starscream all stepped back, waiting for the fireworks to begin. J'onn slithered high into the air, resembling a cobra about to fight. Fear plastered itself across Monguls face. He never knew the Martians shape shifting was so powerful.

J'onn quickly wrapped around the warlords form, his serpent like body crushing him. Mongul struggled to break free, but was shocked to find that J'onn was much stronger than he let on. He was trapped and could only gasp for breath, his face losing color.

_"You never knew my full strength you dog!" _J'onn yelled, his calm and normally emotionless voice was now full of fury, _"For ten years I was your slave, forced to fight! Now you _fear me!_ What happened Mongul? Why not fight? Where's all that strength and power you boasted about!"_

Jack watched this and took a single step forward. J'onn lowered himself to Monguls level, the warlords eyes fluttering from lack of oxygen, _"Come on! Hit me! FIGHT ME!" _

The Martian felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around to see Jack standing there, a solemn look on his face, "That's enough J'onn." he said calmly, "He's finished."

J'onn narrowed his eyes, _"This… this MONSTER TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" _he screeched, _"My friends, family, my entire race! He threatened it all and for what!? To make me fight for his amusement! He deserves to die!"_

The two looked at each other for several seconds. Kara and Starscream watched with rapt interest but remained silence. Jack finally broke it.

"I won't say you aren't right. Mongul deserves it, more than most. But he's already been beaten, in front of his people. Killing him will make you no better than him J'onn. Give him to his subjects, let them decide his fate."

J'onns face fell and he looked to Mongul. The warlord was unconscious now, and seemed far less threatening. J'onn let out a heavy sigh, _"Very well Superboy. I see your point."_ he let Mongul go and the warlord fell face first, landing in an undignified heap.

J'onn shifted back to his Martian form. He looked at Jack and Kara, _"I would like to go home now."_

_Mars…_

Jack followed closely behind J'onn as the two comrades walked through the red Martian desert. Jack wore an oxygen mask to compensate for Mars's atmosphere, and squinted his eyes. The cast off from the sun on the red earth created a dull effect for him, and it bothered him. J'onn on the other hand looked as if he were trembling with anticipation.

After Mongul had been given over to the people, the group had piled into the ship and returned to the solar system in a matter of hours. According to Kara, this was faster due to the fact that she knew how to get home, were as before they'd been tracking a faint trail to find him. Jack wasn't complaining, in fact he imagined everyone at home was probably worried sick. He'd never hear the end of it from his mom and Arcee.

But at the moment, the teen was escorting J'onn to his village. He'd reasoned that knowing Mongul, there might be a chance he had guards stationed at the small Martian settlement should J'onn ever escape. The alien had been reluctant at first, but had eventually agreed to Jacks logic. He would stay long enough to make sure J'onn would be okay.

The two crested a hill, and J'onn stopped. "J'onn?" Jack asked, walking up next to him. He froze too at what he saw.

Tears filled J'onns eyes as he let out a small sob. _"Ten years. After ten years… I'm finally home."_

A small bowel shaped canyon lay before them, and small one and two story buildings lay in the center, crafted of red stone and steel. Jack could see other Martians, varying in height and build, wandering amongst them. Most walked amongst the center street of the town, which actually bore a striking resemblance to small human towns. A central street with buildings on either side, leading up to a large central town hall.

J'onn started down the hill, before breaking into a full run. His mind echoed through the area, the words in a language Jack didn't recognize, but the Martians bellow clearly did. Every Martian turned to see their fellow running towards them, and several stopped what they were doing, running out towards the edge of town.

Jack followed slowly behind, not wanting to interrupt a happy reunion. J'onn came to a stop at the outskirts of town as a small crowd gathered around him. A symphony of voices filled Jacks mind as he approached, all of them sounding happy and relieved. He had difficulty discerning who was who the symphony was so loud.

J'onn seemed happier than Jack had ever seen him since meeting the Martian, and his happiness only seemed to grow as what Jack could only assume was a female Martian, approached him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing happily. Two small Martian children ran up to J'onn, what could only be his children.

Jack realized that he was intruding on this happy reunion, that his friend was more than okay, so he turned to leave.

_"Wait." _J'onn said, his voice standing out. Jack turned back and J'onn approached him. He held out his hand, _"My friend, you did much for me. Should you ever need help, ever, I will help you. I owe you a debt that I could never hope to repay."_

The teen looked at the Martians crowded behind him and at the small children holding onto J'onns legs. He looked up at J'onn, "You can repay your debt by living happily with your family J'onn, that's all I ask."

J'onn smiled, and spoke for the first time, "I will. Thank you."

_Kryptonian Ship, Earth Orbit…_

Jack and Kara wandered the ship together, the first time Jack had really done so since he'd first arrived. The ship was due to arrive on Earth in approximately 10 minutes. So in the mean time, Jack figured he'd best get to know the ship a little better. Kara was simply accompanying him to make sure he didn't break anything. Jack hadn't complained, his skill with technology was less than stellar.

Starscream would have been invited to join them in their tour of the ship, but the seeker was a tad too big to comfortably walk through all of the ship without crab walking through. So he'd politely declined, instead choosing to remain in the cockpit.

The young Kryptonians eyes wandered the smooth curves of the halls as he walked through, his mind wandering back to J'onns happy reunion. Or more specifically, his reunion with his wife. Seeing him so happy among his people had brought an ache to Jacks chest. He would never get such a reunion. He and Kara were the last Kryptonians, the last of their kind. Though Jack often denied it, that fact brought an ache to his chest. They were alone.

He shook his head as he broke off from Kara to look inside a small room. It was large enough to hold about two or three people comfortably, but lacked any furniture or the standard terminals scattered through the ship. Its walls curved upwards, forming an almost tear drop shape in the with small little nozzles dotting the walls.

Jack rubbed his chin, wondering what the purpose of this room was. "Hey Kara!" he called.

Suddenly the door slammed shut behind him. Jack whirled around confused, "Kara!?"

"Kal!" she called, and he heard a thudding on the door, "Kal!"

A low whir filled the chamber, and Jack looked around, worry planted in his mind. The ship was designed to help jumpstart a Kryptonian colony. This begged the question, what was the purpose of this room? He didn't have time to ponder this, as a bright flash lit up the room and Jack collapsed, his entire mind going dark.

Kara heard the flash and immediately stopped banging on the door. If this room was what she thought it was… breaking down the door would not be the best of ideas, for Kal or herself. She sincerely hoped she was wrong though. If it was what she thought it was, Kal would not be happy.

The whirring suddenly died down and the door slid open. Steam billowed out from the room in droves, causing the figure that emerged to be nearly invisible. Jack heaved out a series of coughs as he emerged, putting a hand on the doorway. The steam cleared and Kara clapped a hand over her mouth at the sight of Kal. One thing was for sure. June was going to be pissed.

**A/N: *Evil Laughter* So begins the start of what may possibly be the most ridiculous filler chapter I have **_**ever **_**written. Any guesses to what it is? Those who know don't spoil it for the others. So as a warning, the next chapter is going to be utterly **_**ridiculous**_** in every sense of the word. But I digress. Anyway, let me know what you thought of the rest of the chapter. Was the fight scene good? Was it a good way to finish the Mongul trilogy? Was J'onns reunion good? All these questions and more can be answered in the review box below. And for question, PM me with them, or ideas even. Bye!**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: X and Y

_Kryptonian Scout Ship, Earth Orbit…_

Jack stumbled out of the room, placing his hand on the door frame. Steam billowed around his legs and he felt… weird. Like his body's proportions were off. He started coughing as he felt something catch in his lungs. He coughed until a small stream of mucus dribbled out from his mouth. He spat out the rest from his mouth and wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve.

A few tears blurred his vision making it hard for him to see. He blinked to clear them and slowly saw Kara standing in front of him, her hand clamped over her mouth. She looked like she was trembling slightly, causing Jack to raise a brow.

"Are you okay Kara?" he asked. Immediately his hands shot to his throat. His voice… it sounded different. It was his voice but it sounded… lighter, like a higher pitch.

It didn't feel like anything was wrong with his throat though. He'd managed to clear it, but why did it sound so different? Kara finally took her hand from her mouth and suppressed a giggle. Jack looked at her confused.

"Ugh Kal…" she started, cracking a small smile, "How do you feel?"

He blinked once, "I feel fine just a little… off" he replied, moving to place a hand on his head. His arm brushed against his chest and he straightened up, blinking again.

He looked down and his eyes widened in shock. His chest was suddenly more rounded and jutting out. In fact his entire body looked different, more… curvy. His entire body started trembling as possibilities entered his mind.

"Kal?" Kara asked, her voice more concerned.

Jack ignored her and turned to look at the wall. He wiped his hand across the wall, which he noticed wasn't as thick as it used to be, and cleared away some of the steam on it. The walls weren't perfectly reflective, but were reflective enough for one to see themselves. Jack froze at what he saw.

His reflection stared back at him… but it wasn't his reflection. The features were softer and more delicate than he was used to, and the small amount of stubble that had begun to accumulate was gone, leaving smooth skin. The hair was two or three inches longer too. He reached a hand up to touch his face, and the reflection imitated him.

His mind finally made the connection, "Kal?" Kara asked again. A very loud feminine scream echoed through the ships halls.

Jack immediately started pacing, hands on his…her head mumbling to herself at supersonic speeds, "This can't be real it has to be a dream or a trick something. It can't be, this doesn't happen it doesn't."

She looked down at the two round objects now protruding from her chest. She clenched her eyes, no way those were there, it was just a really bad dream, maybe a hallucination. Maybe there was a leak in the hull of the ship and she was suffering oxygen depredation.

She opened her eyes again, only to see the same two orbs there, on her chest. She proceeded to cup them. Yep, they where real alright. Very, very real.

Kara laughed, "Are you done groping yourself Kal?" she asked.

Jack looked down at her hands then at Kara then back at her hands again. Her face turned scarlet red and she immediately let go, wrapping her hands behind her back.

"Uh…y-yes." Jack looked at her worriedly, "Kara, what happened to me!?"

She smiled, trying ever so hard not to laugh. She only partially succeeded, "Well little brother… or is it sister?" she ignored Jacks glare, "You accidently activated a Kryptonian Gender swap."

"A WHAT!?" she screeched.

"Basically," Kara explained, "In the early days of colonizing, Genesis chambers weren't very reliable so colonists had to increase the population the normal way. That room right there was to help even out the population should too many of one gender die off."

"Okay…" Jack started, "So why did it activate when I walked in!?" she demanded.

Kara shrugged, "Maybe it just detected your presence or something. Its old tech, Krypton hadn't had to use something like that for centuries. It's a miracle it still works."

"Yeah great." Jack growled, "So how about we use this "miracle" to turn me back!"

Kara suddenly became very interested in her feet, not looking at Jack. "Kara." Jack started, "You can change me back, right?" she asked worriedly.

She smiled nervously, "Of course I can Kal…" she said.

"I'm sensing a but here." Jack said.

"But thing is… those pods have a two day charging period." Her sister ducked her head, waiting for Jack to explode with anger.

When nothing happened, Kara looked up to see Jack standing there, her jaw hanging. "You mean I'm going to be like this for…"

"You're going to be a girl for two days now, yes." Kara answered. There was a thud as Jack fell flat on her back unconscious.

Kara giggled, "Been a while since she's done that."

_Autobot HQ…_

Arcee paced back and forth across the base floor trying and failing to banish the seed of worry that had been growing steadily for nearly two days now. While she and the Autobots had recovered a new relic from New York, the phase shifter, Kara, Jack, and Starscream had just vanished. They had tried finding them, but they and their ship were gone! Not a trace.

No one had said it, but Arcee had assumed the worst. Jack could be out there somewhere, hurt alone. She shuttered her optics. She didn't need to think about that. Her boyfriend would be fine, he'd handled many horrible things in his time. Knowing him he'd probably got roped into some heroic crusade.

Kara and Starscream had likely followed. If they had, Arcee certainly wouldn't be shocked. Besides her and June, those two were probably the closest to Jack. Kara for obvious reasons, and Starscream who saw him as a comrade in arms. She shouldn't worry. So why did that little voice in her processor keep telling her that something bad had happened to Jack?

She looked up at Ratchet, "Anything?" she asked.

Ratchet let out an irritated sigh, "By Primus Arcee, I swear if you ask me that again I will personally take my wrench and shove it-" a beep suddenly sounded on his terminal.

"Hello." he said with wonder, "What's this?

His servos flew across the terminal as every bot and human gathered around, "Did you find them!?" Miko asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure." he answered truthfully, "But I am detecting a high energy signature in Earth orbit heading in the general direction as the coordinates of the ship."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Bulk asked, "Bridge us there, we'll meet them when they land."

"Not yet." Ratchet said, "There is still the possibility that it is not Jacks ship, in which case bridging you there would be a waste of Energon."

Bulkheads entire body sagged, "Oh… right." he said solemnly.

Bee beeped out a series of whirs and clicks, "Right, how will you know if it _is _Jacks ship?" Raf translated.

"There is no way to be entirely certain." Ratchet replied, "We must simply wait for the signature to stop moving and land. Should that occur, then we can bridge the team to base."

"An excellent idea Ratchet." Optimus stated, "Perhaps then we can learn where those three vanished too."

"And punish them appropriately." Void muttered. Of the group, she was more angry with Kara for vanishing. She didn't think the girl would get herself hurt too badly, but she had been reckless for leaving without letting anyone know and Void intended to let her know.

"It appears that this may very well be the ship we're looking for." Ratchet said, a happy tone in his voice, "It's landed at the exact same coordinates that it left from."

Optimus walked up behind Ratchet, "Can you confirm its Kryptonian origin?" he asked.

"Give me a moment…" Ratchet said.

Suddenly a line of communication opened up, "Hey Ratchet." Kara said nervously over the line.

"Kara!" Void exclaimed shoving through the bots until she stood next to Optimus and behind Ratchet.

One could almost hear Kara wince, "Yeah Void, we're back." she said.

"We're did you even go!?" Miko demanded.

"It's… a long story." Kara explained, "But everyone's okay, but there was a little incident with Kal…."

That got Arcee's attention. "Jack!? Is he okay, did he get hurt!?"

The teen laughed nervously, "You might just want to bridge yourselves here. You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

"Very well." Optimus said, "Ratchet?"

The old medic nodded, "Right, opening a bridge."

He pulled down on the lever and the bridge spiraled to life. The bots approached the edge of the bridge, "Autobots," Optimus thundered, "roll out!"

The group of five transformed and rolled through the bridge. The whole time, Arcee's processor was focused on what had happened to Jack. He couldn't be hurt, Kara would have been ballistic if he had been. She steeled herself for whatever might be waiting on the other side of the bridge. Nothing could have prepared her for what was on the other side of that bridge….

_Greenland…_

The bots emerged from the bridge out next to the starship. The ship rested in a large bowelled area, with hills of varying size surrounding it. The ground was covered in thin snow with the occasional rocks jutting out from it. The ship itself rested in the center of the bowel. Kara and Starscream stood out in front of the starships entrance. The latter of the two had his arms crossed and a faint smile on his faceplate.

The bots approached, Optimus leading, "I assume you have good reason for what you did?" Optimus asked.

Kara rubbed the back of her head nervously, "Yeah we do. Sorry for not leaving a message, but I was in a hurry. Screamer jut tagged along."

"Explain." Void ordered. Her optics were narrowed and her arms crossed. Even if one didn't know the femme, it was obvious she wasn't in a good mood.

Kara took in a deep breath. "This might take a moment."

She then proceeded to explain every detail of the past day or so. The meteor, Jacks charges going off prematurely, her and Screamer using the ship to track the ion trails of the ship, the events of War World, and dropping J'onn off at his home.

"Kara." Optimus started, "While you meant well, running off alone after your brother was not wise. You put yourself at risk. It would have been best to wait for us to return."

Kara bowed her head, "I know Optimus, but I didn't have time. I just didn't want to lose the trail."

Void knelt next to her charge, "And we would not want to lose you."

Kara felt guilt overcome her at the look on Voidwalker's face "Sorry." she whispered.

The femme placed a servo on her shoulder, "Just don't do it again." Kara looked up and smiled at her guardian.

Arcee walked over interrupting their little moment, "This is all said and good, but where is Jack!?" she demanded.

A grin broke Kara's face and Arcee arched and optic ridge. The girl was planning something. She turned to the ship and cupped her mouth.

"Oh Kal~!" she called, "Time to come out!"

"Go away." a soft voice replied.

Kara suppressed the urge to laugh at the looks of confusion on the bots faceplates, "Sorry, no can do. Time to go home."

"No."

Before Kara could say another word, Arcee strode forward and knelt down, her brow furrowed, "Jack, get out here now. Your mother and I have been worried sick about you."

There was a silence from the other side of the door. Everyone stood their awkwardly for a few seconds before a heavy sigh emanated from the door. The sound of machinery echoed from the door and it slid open. A lone female figure walked out, her head hanging.

She stood about 6'2 or 6'3, with a well built and curvy body. Her hair was cropped short, but still long enough that the bots couldn't make out her face. Her build was almost Amazonian in nature, by humans standards she'd be very attractive. She also wore Jacks super suit. She looked up at the bots and Arcee's optics widened in disbelief.

Though far more feminine than before, that was Jacks face. No doubt about it, this girl was Jack. No bot moved, though Starscream trembled as he tried very hard not to laugh. Jacks face burned bright red.

"Hi guys." she said softly.

Arcee blinked, "Jack?"

She nodded, "Yeah Cee, it's me…" Jack fidgeted, feeling very uncomfortable.

Arcee's head whipped to Kara, "Explain. Now."

Kara suppressed another laugh and quickly explained Jacks plight to the bots. By the time she was finished the five looked utterly stunned. Their expressions were priceless and the girl wished she had a phone to take a picture of them. Guess she'd just have to remember them.

Bulkhead suddenly doubled over in laughter, "So.. So you're telling me, Jacks a girl now!?" he collapsed on his aft, his laugh echoing through the hills, "That's got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

Jack lowered her head again, feeling her face burn red. This was humiliating. He would have preferred staying in the ship for two days, but Kara had convinced him it would be best if he didn't. How, he still wasn't sure, but she had.

Arcee noticed her discomfort and stood up, turning to Bulkhead, "Yeah I imagine it would be Bulk. Pretty sure if you were in the same situation you'd want someone laughing their aft off at you."

The wrecker froze, "Oh… I… sorry Jack." he said, rubbing his helm.

Jack didn't move or say much, just gave a barely noticeable nod, "I assume that despite your temporary… "condition", that you are unharmed?" Optimus asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay besides that."

Optimus nodded and out a servo to his comm. "Ratchet, we need a bridge."

The portal swirled behind him almost immediately, and the bots walked through one by one. Jack reluctantly followed, her head hanging. Kara saddled up next to her newly minted sister.

"That wasn't so bad, see?" she asked.

Jack sighed, "It could have been worse." she admitted. She suddenly froze in her tracks, causing Kara and Arcee to turn to look at him.

"Jack? You okay?" the asked in sync.

"I just realized, "she said, looking up at them in horror, "Miko is going to milk this for all its worth."

The femme and his sister exchanged a look. This was going to be painful…

_Autobot HQ…_

Miko fell on her back laughing long and hard once Kara explained what had happened to Jack. At this point she was really getting tired of that. But there wasn't a whole lot she could do either, Miko was Miko, there was not talking sense into her. Most of the bots had been sent back out on patrol, and Kara had returned to the starship after a quick visit to the base to see if she could find a way to get Jack back to normal sooner.

"S-so you're telling me that Jack is a girl now!?" she squealed, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm right here Miko." Jack growled, "And it's not that funny."

"Dude its hilarious!" She held her sides as she stood back up, "I should totally start calling you Jaclyn now!"

Jack pinched her nose, "Miko, please stop." she asked quietly. She just wanted this day to end.

"How can I!?" Miko replied, "Look at you, you've got the boobs and everything!" she motioned to Jacks chest.

The teen crossed her arms protectively over her chest, her face burning bright red. Raf tapped Miko's shoulder, getting the girls attention, "Miko, maybe you should stop, I don't think Jack appreciates you making fun of him, er… her I mean."

She gave Raf a grateful look. Miko rolled her eyes, "You kidding Raf, I'm going to milk this for all its worth! I might never get another chance like this!"

Jack glared at her, "Miko, if you keep this up, I will get you back when I am back to normal. Do you _really _want me to get you back?" she asked.

Miko opened her mouth to respond when the low drone of an engine echoed through the halls. Everyone turned towards it and Jack felt the formation of a very large pit in her stomach. His mothers red four door drove into base, coming to a stop near Ratchets terminal.

June opened the door and got out, looking at Ratchet, "Please tell me you saw some sign of my children today?" she begged.

Ratchet seemed to suppress his own laugh. much to Jacks utter annoyance, "Yes Nurse Darby, Jack and Kara have returned safely to base. Kara is currently back at the ship in order to find a way to help Jack out of a… unique, situation."

The nurse arched a brow, "What do you mean by that?" she demanded.

He waved his servo in Jacks direction. The boy turned girl felt her blood go cold as the medic just blatantly gave away what was wrong with her. June followed his servo to Jack, and her eyes widened at the sight of her.

June moved fast running up the steps, stopping when she reached the top, "Jack? Honey, is that you?"

Jack felt her cheeks heat up again, cursing the fact that he kept blushing and nodded, "Yeah mom, it's me…"

June hastily embraced her son turned daughter, just happy to see her alive. After a moment like this she broke the hug and gave her a questioning look, "What did… how did this happen?"

The teen looked at her feet and explained the situation to her mother. She continued to look at her feet once she finished. June took a moment to digest all this information before she finally spoke.

"Well… maybe should I start calling you Jaclyn?" she quipped. Miko busted into laughter while Jack looked at June mortified.

"Mom!" she yelled.

"What?" June asked innocently, "Jack isn't exactly a common name for girls, is it?"

She tapped a finger to her chin in thought, "Hmm," she said.

Jack blinked and took a single step back. She'd seen that look before. He didn't like that look. That was a look that spelled trouble.

"Guess we'll need to take you shopping for new clothes huh? Female essentials."

Yep, that was trouble. Jacks face turned crimson red, "Uh uh, no way!" she said, "It's only two days, I am not going out in public like this."

"That's a bit of a problem Jack." June said, an evil glint in her eye, "You can't wear that all the time, and Kara and I don't have any clothes that would match your form and definitely no bras that would fit."

"MOM!" she exclaimed, trying very hard to keep her mind clean "Please, stop!"

June laughed, "I don't think it matters what gender you are honey, you embarrass way to easy."

Jack buried her head in her hands, "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

Miko wrapped a friendly arm around her, "You got it Super girl!"

Jack let out a single loud groan of frustration. Things really couldn't get much worse, could they?

_Darby Residence, later that night…_

Arcee pulled into the garage, Jack riding as usual. After a series of incredibly awkward events at base, Kara and the others had eventually returned one by one to base. Jack had eagerly asked Kara if there was any way to speed up the charging process on the device. There was not. So for the time, Jack was stuck like this for two days.

She'd been very adamant about staying at base, not wanting to be seen in public in her current condition. But June had been equally as head strong, and ultimately Jack lost. So the girl had changed into her civilian clothes, noticing that everything felt tight or loose in the wrong spots. It wasn't too bad, but it was noticeable.

Jack got off Arcee, removing her helmet and setting it on the table. Arcee transformed as the garage closed behind them. June was already home, having left to "get her some real clothes or die trying." Jack was terrified to see what she'd bought.

Arcee looked at Jack with concern, "Jack." she said softly, getting her attention.

The femme knelt forward slightly, "I know this isn't easy right now, but if you need me, I'm here for you."

Jack looked at Arcee, still feeling her love for her in her heart. When on war world before this whole incident, he'd thought night and day about her, wanting nothing more than to be home with her. It was then Jack noticed that Arcee was leaning forward for a kiss.

Some instinct caused Jack to backpedal away, leaving Arcee there, a confused look on her faceplate, "Thanks Cee." she said quietly, her face having once again turned bright red, "I'll let you know if anything comes up."

She quickly slipped inside, her mind racing. For some reason right now, the idea of kissing Arcee…. It didn't sit well with her. Maybe it was the hormones, the female hormones. Jack shook her head as she walked into the kitchen. She had enough problems, this was not one she needed to add.

"Glad to see you made it home in one piece," June joked, holding a cup of water in her hands.

"Funny." Jack said, and started for her room, "I'm going to turn in tonight." she called.

"Oh wait!" June said, rushing after her.

"What?"

A mischievous look passed over Junes face and Jack suddenly grew very nervous, "I managed to get some new clothes for you, mostly underwear, just figured I'd give you a heads up."

Jack opened her door and her eyes widened and her face turned scarlet. She looked to June, "You are having way to much fun with this." she muttered.

June smiled innocently, "Who me?"

Jack sighed and slammed the door behind her, ignoring her mother for the time. She looked at the bag of clothes on her bed. Her face burned as red as the cape on her super suit. The bags were bright pink and labeled across them in shining silver were the words _Victoria's Secret._

"I swear to god I will get you back for this mom!" she yelled.

"Sorry, can't hear you!"

The teen ran a hand over her face, "Why me?" she muttered…

_The Next Day…_

Jack sat alone in base practically alone for the time being. Miko and Raf were both spending the day with their families, much to Miko's displeasure and Jacks immense relief, and the most of the bots were assaulting an Energon Mine. Arcee however, was nowhere to be seen. Kara was busy working on some sort of secret project that she wasn't telling anyone about.

This left Jack alone to watch TV by herself, counting away the minutes until she could finally be turned back to normal. She really wasn't paying any mind to the TV program, mostly just scratching at the itch from her new… undergarments she was being forced to wear.

She swore to Primus or God that when she was back to normal that she would _burn _those clothes when she was done. At least June hadn't decided to by her girl clothes to go with them, so instead she wore her usual two shirt combo and blue pants with sneakers.

Suddenly she felt the all too familiar sensation of metal fingers tracing her back. "You sure seem lonely up here Jack." Arcee said, tracing her back as she sat next to her, the mass shifter wrapped around her waist.

Jack gulped nervously. This was something she'd hoped to avoid, at least till she was normal again.

"J-just waiting for t-tomorrow." she stuttered, her cheeks flushing red.

Arcee almost seemed to purr, "You know, with Ratchet busy elsewhere, we are finally alone…"

The teen scooted away nervously. Under any other circumstance, at any other time, this would have been a dream come true. Right now though, it just made her really nervous. Her heart thundered in her chest.

"I… ugh." They boy mind in the female body tried desperately to figure out how in the pit to react to this situation. Tried and failed.

She cocked her head, "Something the matter Jack? I thought you'd jump at the chance to be alone with me." she leaned forward across the couch to emphasize her point. Jack leaned away.

"I… I've got to go!" she yelled suddenly standing and running off away from the femme.

She was a blur as she vanished, leaving Arcee sitting there, very confused. Jack had never acted like that before. He would have relished any alone time the two got, but now… She was acting odd. And the femme didn't know how to deal with it.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking off in Jacks general direction which she'd fled. Arcee had missed him greatly when he disappeared, she wanted him to know that. Next chance she got, she would get the two of them alone. That much she was certain of…

_Later that Night, the Darby Residence…_

"No way, uh uh, no!" Jack crossed her arms and stood firm for emphasis.

June glared at her, "Jack, it's been almost three maybe four days since you last took a shower. If you don't take one, you're going to kill people with your smell."

"Mom!" she whined, "I can't shower, not…" she lowered her head, "Not like this, not in this body."

Her mother's glare softened slightly, but still remained firm, "Jack, its fine. It's just a quick shower, in and out. Keep your eyes shut the whole time if you have to, no one will think less of you for this."

She looked back up, "But…I…"

June pointed at her room, "Shower. Now."

Jack sighed and trudged towards the bathroom located on the other side of her room, mumbling to herself, "I can stop trains in their tracks and deflect bullets, but I can't win an argument with my mom." she complained.

June made sure she was in the bathroom before heading back out to her car. It was about time for another oil change, and June refused to pay for one. She always did it herself instead to save time and money. She walked out to the car, not noticing the figure slipping inside.

The Kryptonian repeatedly knocked her head against the wall. She didn't want to do this. She really didn't want to do this. Even though she had a female body, her mind was still very much male, female hormones or not. Taking a shower with that body would make him feel like… well, like a pervert.

She looked up at the mirror, the shower reflecting in the mirror, taunting her. She sighed, and glared at herself in the mirror, "Come on Darby. Five minutes, that's all it'll take. Man… Woman up and deal with it!"

Steeling herself, she moved quickly before she could have any second thoughts on the matter. She turned the shower on, letting it warm up before dealing with the inevitable. _Come on, you were able to change last night, you can handle a few minutes in the shower like this, _she thought. She peeled off her clothes, eyes clenched shut and stepped into the shower.

Jack kept her mind focused on _anything_ but the tasks at hand, and moved through the motions. In record time she was soaped, shampooed, and rinsed. She shut off the water and stepped out, drying herself with a towel and wrapping it around her.

She leaned against the wall for a moment, trembling slightly, "Oh thank god everything goes back to normal tomorrow." she whispered to herself.

Holding the towel _very _tightly, she opened the door into her room, eager to get her clothes back on. She stopped dead at the sight of Arcee leaning against her door frame. Her mind went completely blank at the sight of her. Again, something she'd of killed for as a boy. Not so much at the moment though.

Arcee smiled, "I just thought that we'd get some time alone is all Jack. I was worried sick that you were hurt, I want to be with you."

Jack blinked before her mind kicked back into action, "Arcee… I know, I get that, I do… But please, I can't be with you, not right now, not like this."

A look of hurt passed over the femmes face and Jack felt nothing but guilt. She didn't want to be in this situation though, and Arcee needed to know that.

"I don't… I don't understand." Arcee said.

"Please, just… go, okay. Tomorrow I'll spend all the time you want, just leave me alone right now!" Arcee recoiled as if hit, and Jack closed her eyes. She heard Arcee's footsteps as she left, and she sat on her bed. She still clutched the towel in her hand.

She looked up, "You love torturing me, don't you?"

Arcee was confused greatly by what was going on with Jack as she exited the Darby residence. She knew Jack, she knew that he would have jumped at the chance for being alone with her. His awkward phase for the most part, was over. So why did it feel like she was reliving that all over again.

"Oh Arcee!" June said, rolling out from under her car. She had a few grease stains on her arms and face, and her hair was wild.

"I didn't know you were here," she continued. Then she noticed the sad look on her faceplate.

"Oh no, what happened?" she asked.

Arcee sighed, her optics flicking towards June, "I've just been trying to get some private time with Jack is all. But she keeps turning me down and away. Just a few days ago he would have practically leapt at the chance to be alone with me, but now she will barely make eye contact with me.

Understanding dawned on Junes face, "Arcee," she started, wiping her hands off on a rag, "The reason that Jacks been acting that way, is because for humans at least, love between two people of the same sex is… well its frowned upon, or at the very least is a touchy subject. Jacks never really been affected by it before, but with female hormones and his male mind, she's probably confused by a lot of what she has to deal with. Your advances probably only make this worse."

Utter guilt consumed Arcee, and it showed, "I never meant to make things worse for her!" she exclaimed, "I just wanted to spend some alone time with her."

June put a hand on her shoulder, "I know Arcee, and it's understandable. You didn't know, and you'd thought the worse when he was gone. You were just acting how any girlfriend would. But if you wait till tomorrow, things will be back to normal. In the meantime, you might want to let Jack know that you didn't mean to act how you did."

Arcee looked at the setting sun and nodded, "Right. Thanks June. I should have thought that out better."

She laughed, "It's young love, you make stupid mistakes. Best just to learn from them." she turned back to the car, "And glad to have helped."

Jack still sat on the bed, still holding her towel tight. Her mind had been thinking about everything concerning Arcee and why Jack had been acting how she had. She'd reached a conclusion right as Arcee knocked on the door.

Her head shot up and instinct made her tighten the towel, "Arcee?"

"Yeah, it's me." she said, "Can I come in?"

Jack took a deep breath, now or never, "Sure." she said quietly.

The door creaked open and the femme walked in, closing it behind her. She took a seat on the corner of the bed, "Jack, I just… wanted to apologize for how I was acting." she said, "I hadn't thought that humans might have different… taboos, then Cybertronians, so I didn't consider that how you are now might make our relationship awkward. I didn't mean to put you into such difficult positions."

The boy turned girl looked at her feet again, thinking over her conclusion she'd come to, "Thanks Arcee, that means a lot. But I was thinking about it too. About it all." she looked up at Arcee, "And I realized something."

Arcee cocked an optic ridge and Jack elaborated, "That even though I might be a girl temporarily, I'm still me." She looked up at her, "And that means I still love you Arcee, even if I'm a girl."

Arcee smiled, "Maybe you should stay that way, you seem to be a lot more intelligent."

"Gee thanks." she replied, rolling her eyes, "But I think I'd rather be back to being me."

Arcee leaned forward and pecked her on the lips, "Agreed."

Jack continued to blink for several moments, her jaw working as her mind tried to comprehend the sudden scenario she was in. She took in a deep breath and then exhaled.

"To hell with it," she said, and proceeded to tackle Arcee with a kiss onto the bed, leaving her towel in a rumpled heap on the floor…

_Kryptonian Scout Ship the next day…_

The whirring noise died down and the doors slid open, letting Jack out. He looked down at his chest and did a quick check before letting out a sigh of relief, "Finally back to normal he said."

Arcee wrapped an arm around him, being among the few who'd tagged along for Jack turning back, along with Kara and June. "Glad to see it. Jaclyn wasn't as much fun."

Jack ignored the quip. For the moment, he was glad that things were finally back to normal…

**A/N: So…. How many of you that didn't know about this saw this coming? Very few I bet. I apologize to those who may not have liked this chapter, but I've been planning it since about chapter 13 or 14, so it was going to happen. But anyway, tell me what you thought in the reviews below what you thought, whether this was a good, bad, meh chapter, or a funny or not funny chapter. I can only get better with YOUR feedback. Also remember to PM me with new ideas for the story or questions. Bye!**


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